


MFEO

by thestanceyg



Category: Criminal Minds, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drugging, F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-10 17:18:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 35,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7854097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis and Spencer Reid meet cute at a flower shop because they are MFEO (made for each other).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Flower Shop

**Author's Note:**

> Idea generated by the tumblr post that asked how to passively-aggressively say "fuck you" with flowers. The actual flowers and meanings are entirely lifted from that post.

Darcy Lewis was having a terrible day.  Her boss had simply stood there while an asshat up and comer made lewd and inappropriate remarks about her.  The insinuation that the best career advice he could give her was to sleep her way to the top was just the cherry on a ridiculously shitty day.  This type of terrible day required retail therapy; preferably with something that would make her feel better and her stupid boss feel worse.  The need to do some revenge shopping led Darcy to a hole in the wall flower shop in DC with bags of new shoes and the good tequila with the most ridiculous request.

“How do I passively-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flowers?” She asked.  The clerk stared at her with wide eyes.

“I think your best option would be some geraniums which represent stupidity, foxglove for insincerity, meadowsweet for uselessness, orange lilies for hatred, and finally yellow carnations which say, ‘you have disappointed me,’” another customer said from slightly behind her.

“Did you get that?” She asked the clerk, adding, “And do you have all of those?”

“Ummm, I’ll go check,” the lady behind the counter said, throwing an odd look at the man before leaving.

Darcy turned to her new favorite person.  “You are the best.  Marry me?” She asked, only half joking when she took in his appearance.  He was tall and lean, his soft cardigan slim cut to match his body. His hair was just a little too disheveled to be on purpose, and his leather messenger bag was well worn and loved.

“I think it’s a bit early to be talking marriage,” the man said with a smile.  “We don’t know if they can actually create your bouquet yet.”

“Won’t be you fault if they can’t.”

“We haven’t even gone ring shopping,” he countered.

Darcy dropped her bags on the floor and dug through her purse, giving a delighted squeal when she found what she was looking for.  She got down on one knee and held up the still wrapped ring pop.  “From the moment you opened your mouth with that delicious bouquet of put downs I knew you were the man for me.  Your excellent physique is just an added bonus.  I could never stop loving your ability to provide archaic themed snark.  Delightfully rumpled man, will you marry me?”

The man plucked the ring pop from her hand and then offered his hand to help her up.  “We could maybe start with names and coffee?” He said.

“Darcy Lewis,” she said, her hand still in his.

“Dr. Spencer Reid,” he said with a smile.

“Your offer for caffeine only makes me love you more,” she sighed.

“I take mine fairly sweet.”

“I like my sugar with coffee and cream,” Darcy half sang.

“Is that a song?” He asked, brow adorably rumpled.

 “Dr. Reid?” A new clerk asked.

“Yes?” He said, tuning away from Darcy.

“I have you order,” she said, handing him a small grouping of flowers, tied carefully at the stems with intricately laced ribbon.  “That must be one special lady to get such a beautiful arrangement.”

“She is,” Spencer agreed with a tight smile, reaching into his bag to grab some money.

Darcy watched, silently kicking herself.  Of course he was already spoken for.  What an idiot.  She had just made an utter fool out of herself.  She should have known with the kind of day she was having.  At least it was unlikely that she would run into him again.  She tried to shrink into the display next to her, wishing desperately that she would look like the fake little balloons and cards there so she didn’t have to talk to him after this

“Darcy?” Spencer asked as she tripped over one of her bags and all but knocked over the display, crashing to the ground with the wire stand everything had been on.

“Can you still see me?” She whispered, eyes screwed shut.

“Kinda hard to miss you.”  She groaned and opened her eyes.  Spencer was crouched in front of her, offering a hand to help her up.  “How do you feel about hospitals?” He asked once she was standing.

“I prefer to not need them?” She said, unsure of where this was going.

“One of my good friends is in the hospital,” he said.  “She loves fantasy and the whimsical, so I got her a bridal bouquet to cheer her up.”  He looked at his watch.  “Visiting hours are over in 57 minutes, and I wanted to give these to her tonight.  Do you want to join me?”

“Oh,” Darcy said stupidly, blinking at him.

“We can grab coffee after?” He added somewhat hesitantly.

“Yes,” Darcy said, surprising herself.  “If your friend won’t mind, that is.  I just need to leave a delivery address and pay,” she said turning back to the clerk.

“Excellent,” Spencer said rocking back on his heels, hands in his pockets.  This slight show of insecurity immediately endearing.  “I’ll send her a text that we’re on our way while you take care of that.”

Spencer fiddled with his phone while Darcy confirmed that they could make the arrangement, leaving her work address for the delivery.  She wrote a long message on the tiny card provided to her detailing what the arrangement meant and where her (soon to be former) boss could stick it.

“I’ve never quit a job with flowers before.  Thanks for your help,” she said as she gathered her things from the floor and joined Spencer.

“You quit?” He asked, eyebrows raised.

“Today my boss, an upstart young Congressman let a dudebro intern that just started tell me, a junior staff member that runs his social media presence among other things, that I would have to probably sleep with a lot of people to get anywhere in the world of politics, nodding in agreement as he said it.  And while that on its own is just an extra crappy day, it’s the latest in a long line of reasons why it was time for me to quit.”

“But what will you do now?” Spencer asked.

“I have a standing job offer to be a girl Friday to a frighteningly competent man.  Plus, that job will probably give me the means to tank Mr. Congressman’s career.”

“First of all, I feel like I should be terrified of you.  Second, isn’t being an assistant a bit of a step down job wise?”

“It would be,” Darcy acknowledged, “if he wasn’t in the positon he is.  He does government work, but not like the Congressman. More of an alphabet agency sort of guy.”

“I work for the FBI,” Spencer said, “maybe I know him?”

“Wrong agency,” Darcy said as they neared the hospital.  “What do you do with the FBI?”

“I work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit.”

“Whoa,” Darcy breathed.  “You are also frighteningly competent then.”

“I am good at what I do,” Spencer allowed, “but you must be too in order to have a standing job offer.”

Darcy blushed.  “Keep up that flattery and I’ll kiss you over coffee.”  It was Spencer’s turn to blush as they walked into the hospital.  “So tell me about your friend,” Darcy said, suddenly aware how odd it was to be joining him.

“Penelope is wonderful,” Spencer said.  “She’s our tech analyst.  She can track down pretty much anything we need if there’s any sort of electronic record.  She and I are the godparents of our friend JJ’s son.  She says she needs happy things surrounding her because our job is so dark, thus the whimsical flowers,” he finished as the elevator door opened to the correct floor.  “I would have given her a flash drive of cute animal videos, but I think she’ll like the flowers more.  Besides, I’m not sure I could find a single video she hasn’t seen yet.”

“Hey Spencer,” a new voice said as they approached a room.  “Who’d you bring with you?”

“Morgan?”  Spencer said.  “I didn’t expect you to be here.”


	2. The Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to visit Penelope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! You guys are TOO KIND. The response to chapter one was overwhelming! hope you like where I take this!

“Of course he’s here,” a feminine voice called from the room.  “Now get your scrawny butt in here and introduce me to whoever you brought.”  Spencer looked over at Darcy who just shrugged, so he led her into the room. 

He held the flowers out to Penelope and said, “I got you these.”

“And they are gorgeous,” Penelope said with a smile as she took them.  “But also gorgeous is the woman you brought with you.  Hello gorgeous.  I’m Penelope Garcia and that man-candy over there is Derek Morgan.  He’s mine, so no poaching.”

“Hi, I’m Darcy,” she said, giving a small wave that Spencer realized was normal but looked adorable when she did it.

“How do you two know each other?” Morgan asked.  “I don’t think I’ve ever met one of Reid’s friends.”

“Don’t be rude!” Garcia said, whacking Derek with a magazine. “But really, how’d you meet?  I bet it was cute.”

“Spencer helped me design a floral arrangement that said ‘fuck you, I quit,’” Darcy said.  “Very romantic,” she added.

Spencer’s cheeks turned a touch pink at the sincerity behind her statement as he said, “I simply supplied some flower meanings to get your message across, and I didn’t know you were quitting until after the fact.”

“Wait,” Morgan said as he eyed Garcia’s bouquet, “you guys met today?”

“At the flower shop,” Darcy confirmed.

“37 minutes ago,” Spencer added.

“You know the exact time?” Darcy asked.

“I have an eidetic memory,” Spencer explained.  “I looked at my watch when I answered your question in the shop.”

“You checked your watch because you thought she was pretty, didn’t you?” Penelope said with glee.

Spencer grew redder.  “Extra romantic,” Darcy sighed.

“And true if his lack of an answer and pink ears are anything to go by,” Morgan said.

“You can read a person very well and you know it,” Spencer grumbled, for the first time embarrassed that his colleagues could read him just like any suspect or crime scene.

“And you brought her to see me?” Garcia asked, suddenly scandalized.  “You should be out on a date, not in here with me!  Hasn’t working with Derek taught you any moves?”

“We’re getting coffee after this,” Darcy said a touch defensively, making Spencer feel the warm flush of being desired enough to be defended at even this tiny not-quite accusation.

“I wanted to bring your flowers before we went, but I didn’t want to ask Darcy to meet me later,” Spencer said, hoping that would be enough of an answer.

“Because you thought she wouldn’t show up?” Morgan asked, ruining Spencer’s hope and hitting on exactly what he feared.

“I didn’t know I was going to meet a guy in the flower shop and visit his friend in the hospital otherwise I would have brought a gift too,” Darcy said before Spencer could answer the question, saving him from having to vocalize his insecurities.  “Oh wait!”  She rummaged through one of her shopping bags, a triumphant smile when she found what she wanted.  Spencer realized he was staring at her lips, and tried to focus on what was in her hands instead.  “How do you feel about tequila?  For when you’re better, of course,” she added, realizing Penelope probably shouldn’t be drinking at the moment.

“Positive.  I feel very, very positive,” Garcia said.

“Then Penelope, I hope you feel better very, very soon,” Darcy said as she handed over a small bottle of high-end tequila.  “Maybe we can have a drink together when you’re better.”

“I like her Reid.  Can we keep her?”

“Maybe let them get a first date done before you marry them off baby-girl,” Morgan said.

“But think of the adorable babies!” Penelope whined.  “I get to be godmother because it was my flowers that put you two together.”

Spencer watched Darcy smile and laugh at the banter. “I think you’ll have some competition from my best friend Jane.”

“But she didn’t cause flowers!”

“No,” Darcy said, suddenly far away, “but it would be nice to have royalty watching out for you.”

Morgan and Derek both looked at Spencer while Darcy seemed stuck in a daydream.  Their eyes definitely said “figure that out.”

“Visiting hours are over in five minutes,” a nurse said as she popped her head into the room.

“We should get going then,” Spencer said.  “We still need to get coffee.”

“Spencer likes his coffee with more sugar than coffee,” Derek said with a smirk.

“That’s okay, I already told him I like my sugar with coffee and cream.”

“Bestie Boys, nice!” Penelope said.  “I have a feeling you two are going to be my sweet OTP.”

“OTP?” Spencer asked.

Darcy leaned toward Penelope and stage whispered, “I’ve already proposed, so you can use that when you write fic about us.”  And then she winked before standing back up.

“I need this story!” Penelope nearly yelled.

“But we have to go,” Spencer said, taking Darcy by the hand. “I’ll see you at work Morgan, and I’ll visit tomorrow Penelope.”

“Very nice to meet you both.  I hope you’re out of here soon,” Darcy said as Spencer all but dragged her from the room. 

“Bye Reid, bye gorgeous,” Penelope called after them.

“Your friends are very nice,” she said once they were at the elevator.

“They can be,” Spencer allowed as he worried about what Morgan would say to him tomorrow.

“Was…..” Darcy said drifting off a bit.

“Was what?” Spencer asked, wondering what question might give her pause.

“Was Derek profiling me?” She finally asked.

“Probably,” Spencer said.  “It can be hard to turn off.”

“Do you think they liked me?”

“Penelope absolutely did.  Morgan will let me know tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Darcy said, biting her lower lip a bit.  “Because I already like you and I would hate for your friends to find me lacking.”

Spencer felt his face flush as he pulled her to a stop on the sidewalk outside the hospital.  “I already like you too,” he said.  “And Derek Morgan isn’t going to change that.”

Suddenly Darcy’s hands were on his face and she was pulling him down to kiss her.  At first he was too shocked to respond, but then he relaxed into it and kissed her back, his hands finding her hips.  It was short and chaste, but he never wanted it to end.  All too soon, though, she pulled away and looked up at him through her eyelashes.  “Was that okay?” She asked.

“Yes,” he said, a little breathless.

“I had promised over coffee, but it just felt right now.”

Spencer blinked at her for a moment.  “I feel like we’re doing everything backwards.  You proposed, you met my friends, we kissed, but we haven’t gone on a first date yet.”

“Then let’s get to it,” Darcy said taking his hand.  “I know a great little coffee shop about a block from here.


	3. In the Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team learns about Spencer's date.

“I’m telling you, I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Morgan said as Spencer walked up to him and JJ the next morning.

“Bad feeling about what?” He asked.

Morgan gave JJ a look before looking back at Spencer.  “About your date, Reid.”

“Reid went on a date?” Prentiss asked as she strolled in with a cup of coffee.  “Exciting!  Tell us all about it!”

“There’s not much to tell,” he said, giving Morgan a look.  “We went out for coffee.”

“C’mon kid, give us the goods,” Prentiss cajoled. “Where did you meet her?  How good was the date?  Anything besides drinking coffee happen?”

“Yeah, he took her to see Garcia before coffee,” Morgan cut in.

“Aww, no fair!”  Emily whined.  “Lucky.”

“Morgan thinks there’s something wrong with her,” JJ said, getting down to business.

“What could be wrong with her?  They just met,” Prentiss said.  “How _did_ you meet?” She asked Reid.

“At a flower shop when she wanted help putting together an arrangement with, uhm, a very particular meaning.  I was there picking up flowers to take to Garcia.”

“Ohhhh, a very _particular_ meaning, eh?” JJ said teasingly.

“She wanted to tell off her boss with flowers,” Spencer said, scratching the back of his neck a little.

“And you knew how to do that?” Prentiss asked as she sipped her coffee.

“Well, yeah.  I know some Victorian flower language.  They used flowers to send messages to each other in a society approved manner.”

“Of course you knew that.  I shouldn’t have wondered.”

“But, I guess for some reason Morgan thinks this isn’t on the up-and-up.”

“C’mon Reid,” Morgan said, “You?  Picking up a girl at the flower shop?  Please tell me you can hear how unrealistic that sounds.”

“Wow,” Spencer said, exaggerating the movement of his mouth.  “Thanks for your high opinion of me.”

“Really Derek?” JJ asked.  “That’s your problem?  You find it unusual that Reid met someone?  That’s kind of a jerk move.”

“It’s not just that,” Morgan growled.

“Is it because she’s pretty?” Reid asked.  “Is the problem that you think she should be attracted to someone more conventionally good looking like you?”

“Is she pretty?” Prentiss asked, settling in on the edge of a desk.

“Very,” Spencer said at the same time Derek nodded yes.

“So is that your problem Morgan?  Because that’s amazingly petty.”

“What about her saying she proposed to you?” Derek spit out.  “Don’t you find that at least a little bit strange?”

“She proposed?” JJ asked, incredulous.

“She didn’t mean it, but yes.”

“How do you propose and not mean it?”  Emily wondered.

“She was only doing it because she jokingly said ‘marry me’ after I told her what flowers she should use.  When I joked back that we didn’t even have a ring, she found a candy ring in her purse and got down on one knee and gave a little proposal speech.  It was just a joke.”

“She sounds like fun,” JJ said. “And I’m just not getting anything strange off these stories.  Maybe it’s a little more rom-com than most meetings, but Reid deserves it.”

“I’m telling you, there’s something off about her.  Something she wasn’t saying.”

“Guys?” Hotchner called, “Meeting in five minutes.”

The small group looked at each other.  “This isn’t over Reid.”

“Actually, you don’t get to decide that.  I’m done with this conversation.”

“How about you bring her by to meet the rest of us sometime?” JJ asked, trying to smooth things over.  “Then maybe we can figure out what’s bugging Morgan.”

“I don’t want or need you to interrogate my girlfriend,” Spencer said.  “Like I said, I’m done with this.”  He grabbed a notepad off his desk and stormed off to the conference room.  As he walked he heard Morgan say, “Your girlfriend?  Already?” and then someone smacked Morgan and called him an idiot.  Good.  He thought Morgan was being crazy too.

The meeting was tense, but everyone tried to ignore it, instead putting their energy into the case being presented to them.  However, as soon as Hotch told them that it was wheels up in 30, Spencer booked it from the room.

“Spencer, wait up,” Rossi called behind him.  Spencer slowed, but did not stop.  “What’s going on?” Rossi asked once they were side by side walking down the hall.

“Morgan,” was all Spencer said.

“There’s a lot of stupid things Morgan does.  What did he do this time?” Dave asked, tying to lighten things.  Spencer pursed his lips.  “Look, Reid,” Rossi tried, “I can hear it firsthand from you, or I can get it second hand from the gossip mill.  Who knows what it will be by the time it gets to me.”  Rossi pressed the elevator button.

“I met a girl,” Spencer said once they were alone in the elevator.

“How is this a bad thing?”

“It’s not,” Spencer huffed, “but Morgan seems to think it is.”

Rossi was quiet while they rode down.  When the elevator door opened up again he stepped out, but stopped Spencer by placing a hand on his shoulder.  “Give him a chance to apologize when he comes to do it,” Rossi said.  “It’s only been a year since the attack on Garcia, and seeing her in the hospital again brought up bad memories for him.”

“He implied that it was shocking a that I could ‘pick up’ a pretty girl in a flower shop,” Spencer said, even giving the air quotes.

“And he’s wrong,” Rossi said.  “But he’s also terrified that something bad will happen to you.”

“You don’t know that,” Spencer argued as people moved around them to get into the elevator.

“My best-selling books disagree,” Rossi said as he got back into the elevator.  “Give him a chance,” he called before the doors closed.

Spencer shook his head and turned to go out the door.  He needed to call Darcy so she would know he’d be out of town, and he didn’t want to do it where the others would hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me or Morgan. Rossi isn't wrong in his guesses.


	4. At Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Darcy to start her new job!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A second chapter just for all of you amazing readers!

“All I’m saying,” Darcy said as she swung her legs while perched on top of a desk, “is that your office could use a little bit of color.” 

“That’s not what I hired you for, Miss Lewis,” her new boss said, never looking up from the file folder he was reviewing as he leaned against his door.

“Son of Coul, that is at least half of what you hired me for,” she said as she jumped off his desk.  “So how about we go over what the other half of my job is?”

Phil looked up from his folder.  “Shouldn’t you be in some sort of HR training right now?”

Darcy started laughing.  “Agent iPod Thief, they would have to know I was new for that to happen.”

Phil pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed the folder and held it under his am.  “What did you do?” He asked.

“Last night I was super jazzed after an excellent first date, and I knew I couldn’t get to sleep.  So I created a few files that back-dated my employment with you.”

Phil sighed.

“Don’t fret.  I also backdated a few deposits so it looks real and momma had a little spending cash so she can take her guy somewhere nice.”

“Miss Lewis, when I said you had a standing job offer, I didn’t expect you to just show up.”

“Don’t worry.  I’ve already set up my desk and organized your agenda for the day, so no need to waste time breaking me in,” she said as she walked past him to her desk.  “You have a meeting with Hill in 15 minutes.  The files for it are on the desk,” she called over her shoulder.

“How did you get in?”  He asked, coming to her desk.

“I told security that the dog had chewed up my badge and provided said badge for them to see.  I recited my badge number-which I made the golden ratio because I could and it reminded me of Jane,- they totally waved me through and promised me a new one soon.”

“I…”

“Their names are on your desk also,” she said, cutting him off.  “Now, you really should prepare for your meeting.”

Phil shook his head, but did head back into his office to look at the paperwork she had set out.  While he prepared, Darcy played gatekeeper, making sure no one got through to bother him before he left.  One of them she answered questions for, two others she took notes on and promised a response within 48 hours.  When Phil came back out, she handed him two new folders.  “I know those meetings can get long and everyone talks a topic to death, so make sure to sign off on these requisitions before you get back.  I’ll file them before I go grab us lunch.”

“You are frighteningly competent Miss Lewis.”

“That’s why you hired me,” she smiled, thinking about how she had just described him that way last night.  “Now, scoot before you’re late.”

Coulson took off down the hall, and thirty seconds later a man dropped from the ceiling and landed next to her desk.

“Christ on a cracker!” Darcy exclaimed before smacking the newcomer with her planner.  “What the hell, Clint?”

“We both know Phil is going to be gone for at least three hours, which is plenty of time to fill me in on your date and do your work.”

“How did you know about my date?” She asked while Clint moved her framed picture of her, Jane, Thor, and Erik in New Mexico and her in/out box so he could sit on her desk, causing a grumble from Darcy.

“Heard you tell Phil,” he shrugged, opening a drawer and pulling out a bag of M&Ms.

“How long were you in the vents?” She asked, smacking his hand, though he didn’t let go of the bag.

“Last two hours.”

“Why?”

“Avoiding Natasha.”

“She’s here?” Darcy said, suddenly perking up.  “Does that mean I finally get to meet her?”

“NO,” Clint said, nearly choking on the chocolate as he said it.  “You two together would spell trouble for me.”

“Well I’m not going to tell you about my date until you introduce us.”

“No problem for me,” Clint said as he popped a few more candies into his mouth.  “I’ll just track you and find out about him that way.  I’ll call it training and bill Shield.”

“Considering those forms would now come through me, I doubt you’ll be getting paid for that.”

“Spoilsport,” Clint said as he put the candy away and hopped off the desk.  “I should get going.  I have a debrief to get to.”

“Clint?” Darcy called as he started to walk away.

“Yeah D?” He replied, just as her cell phone rang.

“Never mind,” she said as she grabbed the phone.  “Have a good meeting.”  She looked down at her phone and her face lit up.  “Jane!” she cried as a greeting.

“Darcy!” Jane replied just as enthusiastically.  “What’s this I hear about you quitting your job?”

“I could handle the talking to my boobs and the requests for me to stay late for no real reason.  But letting some intern jerk tell me I needed to sleep with people to get anywhere when I had JUST finished a presentation on approval numbers and how they correlated to my social media work was it.  I couldn’t do it anymore Jane.”

“If I quit every job that had a sexist asshole above me, I never would have gotten where I am today,” Jane said.  “You can’t just quit jobs.” 

“Here’s the thing, though, I can.  And he’s going to regret everything he did because people like him deserve a little karma in their lives.”

“What did you do?” Jane asked, exasperated like only a best friend can be.

“After my date I hacked my new employer to set up all my records so I didn’t have to sit through boring new employee meetings for the first week.  Then I wrote a little program that would change words in his social media posts long after they change the passwords.  Which they haven’t yet, so I’m having fun with that too.  Did you know that Representative Douchebag is in favor of kill animal shelters and thinks they should be the norm? Because I placed that gem in the middle of some tweets about policy and a meeting that he’s attending next week, and I can’t wait to see that blow up in his face.  But even after I can’t write the tweets myself anymore my little program will still wreak havoc on his career.  I even have them tied to his personal account that he thinks no one knows about because he’s an idiot.”

“There are like a million things to unpack with that statement, so I’m just going to go back to the start.  You went on a date?  And didn’t tell me?”

“It wasn’t planned,” Darcy soothed as she curled her legs under her in the comfy chair she had requisitioned last night.  “I met him and it was a spur of the moment thing.  You know I would have called you immediately if it was planned.”

“But you didn’t call me this morning after the fact, or last night when you got home.”

“Jane, I still check the reports, I knew you would be in the field last night, and I wasn’t going to interrupt science.  And I was going to call you at lunch when you had a chance to get some sleep.  Please tell me there were at least a few hours of sleep between the field and this phone call.”

“Ummm,” Jane said.

“Umm means no Jane.  So we are going to disconnect now and plan on dinner tonight.  I expect you to get at least four hours of sleep between now and 7.”

Jane sighed.  “Usual place?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a taskmaster Darce, but I want all the details, so I’m going to bed.  See you at 7.”

“Sleep well Janey.”

“Bye Darcy.”

Darcy hung up on Jane and glanced down at her phone.  She had a new voicemail.  From Spencer.  He must have called while she was talking to Jane.  She typed in her code and listened.

_“Hi Darcy.  It’s Spencer.  From last night?  I just wanted to let you know we’re going out of town for a case, so I might not be available until we get back.  I can’t say how long it will take, but I’ll let you know when I do.  Umm, bye.”_

Darcy smiled at her phone and hit “save.”  She really liked his voice and the nervousness in that message was too cute not to keep.


	5. Up in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little split scene action while the couple is apart.

Spencer sat on the plane with headphones on and the case folder open.  There was no music playing, but he didn’t want to be disturbed.  They had talked about the case some, but now everyone was settling in and thinking while they waited to land.  He couldn’t escape any of them while on the plane, so he did the next best thing by making himself appear unavailable.

“What’s going on with Morgan and Reid?” He heard Hotchner ask Rossi in a soft voice.

“A girl,” Rossi replied just as quietly.

“They’re fighting over a girl?  I thought Morgan had a girlfriend.”

“He does,” Rossi said with a small nod, “but this is about Spencer’s girl.”

“Spencer has a girlfriend?”

“Apparently as of last night.”

“So then what’s the problem?”

“Morgan thinks she’s some kind of set-up; doesn’t believe that their meeting was really a chance, but more a predator/prey situation.”

“Why?  What did she do?”

“He can’t seem to articulate it.  Says he just has a feeling.”

“And he mentioned this feeling to Reid?”

“Who didn’t exactly appreciate it, yes.”

“Well this will be fun.”

“They’re both professionals.  It’ll be fine.”

Both of them fell quiet and Spencer let his mind wander over the case.  The sooner they solved it, the sooner he could get away from Morgan.  Currently they were supposed to share a room, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

Just as his mind was close to drifting off to sleep, he heard Hotchner ask Rossi, “Do we know anything about Reid’s girlfriend?”

“All I’ve heard is she’s pretty and they met at a flower shop.”

“No name?”

“Aaron, what are you thinking?” Rossi asked.  Spencer could hear him shift in his seat to face Hotch.

“Just that it’s not a terrible idea to have Garcia do a check on her.”

“Aaron,” Rossi chided, “no one did that to any of the rest of us.”

“But it’s Reid,” Hotchner argued.  “It would devastate him if there was something wrong with her.  Besides, it would probably calm Morgan down to know she’s clean.”

“You’re on Morgan’s side, aren’t you?”

“His hunches aren’t usually that off.”

Spencer snapped the pencil that was in his hand and the other men got very quiet.

“Do you think…,” Hotch started to ask, nodding his head toward Spencer whose eyes were now open.

“Yes,” Rossi said looking at Reid.  “I think he did hear you.”

Suddenly he was reminded of something his mother used to say.  “Nothing good was ever learned from eavesdropping.”  Right now that felt pretty true.  He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Garcia.

**I need a favor.**

*******

All-in-all it had been a pretty good first day for Darcy.  She had been worried that just showing up on Coulson could have gone very poorly, but when she saw he currently didn’t have an assistant and his desk looked like a paperwork tornado had hit it, she knew that, in the end, Phil wouldn’t complain.  She had organized all of his paperwork using the system she had found a few layers down.  It looked like he had a system but had become overwhelmed and it had fallen apart.  That had to really bother someone as efficient as Coulson.  When he had come back from his hours long meeting with Hill, he had stepped into his office and let out a small, happy sigh before turning to her and saying, “Thank you.” 

She hadn’t seen Clint again, but she hadn’t really expected to.  Besides a few wrong turns when trying to find the office to turn requisitions into, the day had been pretty smooth.  Just because work was over, though, didn’t mean that her day was.  She looked down at her phone to check the time.  As long as public transportation ran smoothly today, she would have plenty of time to run one quick errand before meeting up with Jane.

Darcy had made it all the way to the elevator before she realized this might not be a good idea.  She looked down at the bag in her hand and decided, “screw it.”  Ever since New Mexico, making friends had been harder because there was so much she couldn’t say, and so many people didn’t understand that.  But Penelope would because she had the same problem.  Probably.  Darcy was assuming here.  When the elevator doors opened, she walked confidently to the room.  Penelope seemed like fun and she wanted to know her better.

“Hello?” She called into the door of the room, waiting to see if she would be welcome or not.

“Darcy?” Penelope said, surprised.

“I thought it might be a lonely night since your team was out of town.”

“How did you…Did Spencer tell you?”

“He left a message,” she said with a small shrug.  “May I?” She asked as she motioned to the chair by the bed that Derek had sat in last night.

“Please!” Penelope said.  “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“I’ve been lonely in a hospital before,” Darcy said.  “It sucks. Which reminds me,” she said holding out a small bag, “this is for you.”

Garcia took the bag from Darcy and opened it up.  “Is this..”

“A hot men coloring book?  Yes it is,” Darcy said with a smile.  “There are some colored pencils in there too.”

“Oh my god I think I love you!” Penelope cried.  “Do you think Reid is willing to share?  Because I am if he is.”

Darcy laughed.  “Considering we met yesterday and have only been on one date, I don’t think I can answer that.  I’m not even sure he’s that into me,” Darcy said, trying to make the last part sound upbeat even though it was a real worry.

“I saw the way he looked at you,” Garcia said.  She sighed.  “I wish someone would look at me like that.”

“I thought you and Derek were together,” Darcy said, confused.

Penelope laughed.  “No.  He has a girlfriend.  We just flirt shamelessly with each other.  We’re more like platonic soulmates.  Not that I wouldn’t jump on that if given the chance.”

“I have a friend or two like that,” Darcy said.  “They could put out a shirtless calendar and make millions, but not really my type.  Super fun to flirt with, though.”

“We should introduce them all, maybe at a pool party or something, and take lots of pictures to make a calendar ourselves.”

“I like where your head’s at,” Darcy laughed.  “When do you get out of here?  I can try and come by again tomorrow.”

“I should be out in the morning,” Penelope said.  “Thank God.  I’m ready for a real shower and my own bed.”

“Good!  I’m happy you’re well enough to get out of here!”

“Ehh,” Penelope said, “I think they were being a little overly cautious.  I was hit by a drunk driver and my appendix ruptured.  They just wanted some additional observation time after the surgery because they were worried about the other accident injuries messing with my healing.”

“Oh my God Penelope!  Did they catch the guy?”

“He was knocked out by the crash so they got him.”

“I don’t envy the insurance hassle you’re about to go through,” Darcy said, already wondering if maybe she could hack something to make it easier on her new friend.

“Oh, I’m excellent at tearing through red tape,” Penelope said with a vicious smile.  “I am _very good_ with computers,” she added with a wink.

Darcy laughed again and checked the time.  “Oh shoot!  I need to get going.  I’m meeting my friend Jane for dinner.”

“Friend Jane that I will need to fight for godmother status?” Penelope asked.

“The very same,” Darcy said.

“The royal Jane?” Garcia pushed, wanting some dirt.

“Not yet,” Darcy said with a small smile.  “But I’m pretty sure she’s going to marry into it.”

Penelope groaned.  “You’re killing me here!  So many stories I want!  And I totally forgot to ask you about the proposal.  You can’t go yet!”

“I have to,” Darcy said standing.  “I only have fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant.”  Darcy dug in her bag for a pen and paper, scribbling on it before she handed it to Garcia.  “Since you’re getting out of here, I won’t know where to find you.  That’s my number.  We should get margaritas once you’re feeling up to it.”

Penelope grabbed Darcy’s hand when she took the paper.  “I’m totally asking Reid if he’ll share,” she said before lettering go.  "And I need a pic with you to save with your contact, so get over here, sugar."

Darcy dutifully moved to the side of the bed and they took a few pictures until Penelope was satisfied.

"Now get before you're late!"  She said, swatting at Darcy.

“Goodbye Penelope,” Darcy giggled as she went to the door.  “I’m really happy you’re feeling better.”

“Goodbye new best friend,” drifted out the door to her as she walked to the elevator.  New job, new friend:  This was turning out to be a great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So today I checked my user subscriptions, and I'm at 238. When I hit 250 I'll be doing a fic giveaway on tumblr, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I'm TheStanceyG over there too!
> 
> Here's the coloring book Darcy gave Penelope: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Men-in-Uniform-Adult-Coloring-Book/M-G-Anthony/9781682611319


	6. In Idaho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer finds some allies in Idaho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, this chapter and I fought like crazy. I hope it's okay.

Spencer was not having a good day.  First Morgan had been insane, then Hotchner had agreed with him, and now it looked like they were going to be stuck in Idaho for at least a week.  He had offered to stay up at the station in case something came in overnight, but he had been told not to worry about it, so now he was in a car with JJ and Prentiss on their way back to the hotel.  The hotel where he would have to share a room with Morgan.  Morgan who he was not currently talking to if he could help it.

“Well, Reid?” Prentiss asked.

“Well what?”

“I told you he wasn’t listening,” JJ said.  “She wanted to know if you’d figured out your next date yet.”

“Oh, uhm not really,” Spencer said.  “We went out for coffee last night and now I’m here.  We didn’t have a chance to really talk about what’s next.”

“The BAU and dating do not mix,” Prentiss said with a huff.  “Does she understand how that will be for you?”

“I think so.  She should be starting a new government job soon, and she used to work for a Congressman, so she understands always being on call.”

“Which Congressman did she work for?”  JJ asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

“Representative Long from Delaware.”

“The one that was all over the news today because he tweeted he was a fan of kill animal shelters?”

“I don’t know about that,” Spencer said with a small crease in his brow.

“So who’s she working for now?” JJ asked.

“She didn’t say.  She just said it was an alphabet agency but it wasn’t the FBI.”

“Is her job classified?”

“I don’t know,” Spencer said, thinking over what she had said about the job.  “She said she was going to be an assistant to someone pretty high up.”

“Usually that takes working up through the security ranks,” Emily said.  “High level assistants tend to have access to the materials their bosses need, so they have to have the clearance to pick up and drop off those things, even if they don’t have it to read them.”

“So there’s a chance the job is classified,” JJ said.  “What did you say her name was again?  Darlene?”

“Darcy,” Spencer corrected.  “Darcy Lewis.”  He was going to say more, but his phone dinged an incoming message.  He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Is it Hotch?” Emily asked.

“No. Garcia.”

“What did she say?  Is she getting out soon?”

Spencer opened the message to find a picture of Penelope and Darcy.  “It’s a picture of her and Darcy.  It says, ‘Look who came to visit me tonight.  If you’re not careful I’m totally stealing her.’”

“Ohhh!  Lemme see! Emily said, reaching back for his phone, which Spencer readily gave up.  “You weren’t kidding,” she said after looking at the picture.  “She’s gorgeous.”

“Show me,” JJ said as they pulled into the hotel parking lot and she quickly parked the vehicle.  Emily handed over the phone just as hers and JJ’s dinged with incoming messages.  “She looks friendly,” JJ said while Prentiss checked her phone which was also promptly shown to JJ.

“What is it?” Spencer asked.

“Evidence that you no longer have a say in if we meet Darcy.”  Spencer thumped his head against the seat and closed his eyes while JJ continued, “Because she just gave Garcia the best gift and I have to meet a girl that awesome.”

Spencer opened his eyes and looked at the two women in the front seat.  “Really?” He asked, surprised that they seemed so positive.

“Umm, yes,” Prentiss said.  “If for no other reason than to learn where she shops.”

“Seriously,” JJ added as their phones continued to ping, “Garcia can’t stop going on and on about how much she likes her.”

“But what about what Morgan said?”

“What about it?”  Emily asked as they got out of the car.  “I haven’t given it any more thought and neither should you.”

“Seriously,” JJ added, “he’s just a bit overprotective.  I promise you that once this case heats up he’ll ease up.  He really just thinks he’s being a help to you.”

“Well he’s not,” Spence huffed, blowing a bit of hair from his face.

“Cheer up, kid.  We’ve got your back.”

“Thanks,” Spencer said as he pulled the strap of his bag over his head.  “I’m going to hang out here for a few minutes,” he said as the women made their way toward the hotel.

“Sure. No problem,” JJ said.

Spencer waited until they had gone inside before he pulled out his phone.

“Hey,” he said when his call connected.  “Thank you.”

“Anything for you sugar-pie,” Garcia said.  “It was a super easy favor, especially when she came by for a visit because she’s amazing.”

“Yeah, JJ and Prentiss seem to really be fans.  What did she get you that they were all excited about?”

“Ohhh honey, it’s a girl thing, but they are right to be fans.  We’re going out for drinks when you all get back.”

“You already have a date set with her when I don’t?”

“Yeah, what’s that about?” Garcia said a touch sharply.  “She said she wasn’t sure that you actually liked her.  Why haven’t you set up that second date yet?”

“Because less than 12 hours after our first date I was on a plane to Idaho.”

“Oh.  Yeah.  Good call.  Maybe send her a text tonight?”

“I could do that,” Spencer said.  “I just didn’t want to move too quickly.”

“A text to follow up a date isn’t moving too fast, sugar.”

“All of it has been pretty fast for me,” Spencer confessed.  “Did she tell you we kissed?”

“What?!” Squealed Garcia.  “She did not!  Spencer, that’s great!”

“It happened after we left the hospital last night,” he said with a small smile.  “But all of this is much faster than I would normally move.”

“And it kind of freaked you out.”

“Maybe a little bit.”

“And then Morgan was crazy and it made things worse.”

“Yeah.”

“Look dumpling, you’re going to be in Idaho for a few days.  That’s plenty of time to slow things back to the level you feel comfortable with if you still want to see her.”

“Of course I still want to see her.”

“Then explain you want to go a bit slower.  She seems like a good person.  She’ll understand.  But if you leave her hanging too long you won’t have a chance.”

“How’d you get so good at relationships?”

“How’d you get so shit at them?”

“Touché.”

“Listen doc, you’re genius level smart, but a bit bad with people.  She seems pretty good with people and interested in you.  Don’t overthink it.”

“Thanks Garcia.”

“But if you mess this up, I’m keeping her.”

Spencer laughed.  “Fair enough.”

“Look, I’m hoping to get out of here tomorrow, so get some sleep and I will be back in your ear before you know it.”

“Will do.  And thanks again.”

“Goodnight Dr. Reid.”

“Goodnight Garcia.”

Spencer hung up the phone and felt better than he had all day.  He’d check in and get settled and text Darcy.


	7. At the Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane and Darcy meet up for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this amazing polyvore by Lymmel!!  
> http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=206827162
> 
> I took yesterday off, but I'm back today. Hope you enjoy!

Jane giggled into her glass as she tried not to spit her drink everywhere.  When she finally had gained her composure she gulped out, “I can’t believe you did that!”

“This guy is seriously adorable Jane, and you should not knock my pain.  Falling into that display hurt!”

“I’m sure it did,” Jane said more calmly, “but it’s also completely ridiculous.”  She paused for a moment before looking at Darcy carefully.  “I’m really happy for you, Darce.  I hope this goes somewhere and he’s as good as his first impression.  After, well, everything, you deserve some good in your life.”

“Things are looking up,” Darcy said with a smile.  “I’m free of the Congressman, had a good first day at my new job, and made a new friend.  But enough about me!  How’s living with Tony Stark?”

“You say it like I’m sleeping with him.”

“Well, you kind of are.  As in you’re in the same building.”

“He’d have to sleep for that to be accurate,” Jane said as she skewered a French fry with a toothpick.  “Besides, he’s only crashing at my lab because Thor said he could while he meets with some government committees.  I think he would have done it even if Thor hadn’t offered it up.  Doesn’t matter though, he’ll be gone soon.”

“That is very pot and kettle Jane,” Darcy said with a fond sigh, “Didn’t I just tell you to sleep several hours ago?”

“And I did!”

“But would you have done it if I didn’t say to?”  Jane hesitated.  “Exactly,” Darcy concluded.  “You don’t get to be judge-y about the sleep thing. Being annoyed by his ego, however, is totally allowed.”

“So how is the research thief?” Jane asked without as she ate another kabobed fy.

“He’s fine.  He was in desperate need of an assistant.  He had gone through three in the past two months and didn’t have one when I showed up.”

“And then you did your thing, and he was powerless to tell you no,” Jane said.

“You would know,” Darcy joked.

“I would,” Jane said, serious.

“It’s not that hard to organize someone,” Darcy shrugged.  “And it’s not like it’s a difficult job.  I just enjoy it.”

“You’re good at what you do, Darce.  And just because you’re not the one doing the work doesn’t mean a damn thing,” Jane said as she eased into her old pep-talk for when Darcy was insecure.  “I couldn’t have done as much as I did as fast as I did without you.  And you cared about me just as much as you cared about my work, and that’s invaluable.  Without you my new lab and my published papers wouldn’t have happened yet.  What you do is important, and anyone who tries to tell you differently is full of shit.”

“Thanks Janey.”

“Any time.”

“So how _are_ your fancy new digs?  You need to spill.” 

“Well, it’s okay.  It’s great being so close to so many observatories and their data.  But I might be moving again.”

“Again?!  Where?”

“New York.  Stark Tower, actually.”

“JANE!”  Darcy screeched.  “Did Stark offer you a job?”

“Sort of,” Jane said.  “He offered me lab space and a room.  I don’t know how serious he was, but Pepper Potts called to set up a lunch date to discuss it.”

“Oh my god Jane!  That’s AMAZING.  You’re going to meet Pepper Potts.  I am SUPER jealous!”

“Actually I was wondering if you would come with me,” Jane said.  “You took care of the contract I have in DC, and I could use some back-up to make sure there’s nothing hidden in the offer.”

“I’m sorry, but did you just ask me to go to lunch with you and Ms. Potts?”

“I did.”

“Absolutely.  Tell me when and where.  I’ll be there.”

“Thanks Darce,” Jane said.  “I just don’t want to get so caught up in things like lab equipment and publishing rights to find out I missed the part where I have to do everyone’s laundry.”

“I don’t think she would allow something like that to go into a contract.”

“I don’t either, but it’s important to catch it before I sign anything.”

“Just tell me when.”

“Next week Tuesday at noon.  I’ll send you the location once she sends it to me.”

Darcy whipped out her phone and added the meeting to her calendar.  “Done!  You’re in my schedule.”  As she went to put her phone away, the Kim Possible beep went off, so she pulled he phone back out, and smiled when she saw who the text was from.

“You only smile at a phone like that when there are puppies on tumblr,” Jane said with a quirk of her eyebrow.  “But that was a text, so spill.”

“It’s Spencer,” Darcy said with slightly red cheeks.

“And…?” Jane prompted.

“And he’s in Idaho.  Expects to be there for several days.”

“So now what?”

“What do you mean ‘now what’?”

“I mean, what’s next for you two.  You went on a date, you seem to really like him, so are you planning on going on another?”

“I don’t know,” Darcy said, chewing on her straw.  “He didn’t say.”

“You can ask too, you know.”

“I know, but I’m not sure if I should.”

“Do you want to see him again?”

“Well, yeah.  I did propose.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem to ask,” Jane sad as Darcy’s phone beeped again.  “Well?” She asked after Darcy had checked the message.”

“He wants to know if it’s a good time to call.”

“It is if you’ll let me eavesdrop,” Jane said with a wicked smile. 

“You’ll only hear my side, though,” Darcy said confused.

“Not if you put him on speaker.”

“That’s so rude!  And maybe illegal if he doesn’t know the conversation isn’t private.  I’m not actually sure if there’s a law about that.”

“Then tell him,” Jane said.  “I’m curious about him.”

“You do know it’s insane to meet the friends after one casual date, right?”

“You do know you’ve already met two of his friends and visited one without him already, right?” Jane shot back.

“You win,” Darcy said as she sent a response to Spencer, warning him about Jane’s terms for the call.  She wasn’t actually upset about Jane wanting to listen in; she valued Jane’s opinion, and really did want Jane to meet him.  She wasn’t sure, though, if Spencer would feel like having a conversation with Jane.  Moments later, her phone rang, giving her an answer to that question.


	8. On the Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The phone call between Spencer, Darcy, and Jane.

“Hi Spencer!” Darcy chirped.

“Hi Darcy.”

“Say hello,” he heard Darcy command.

“Nice to meet you Spencer,” a new voice said.

“You must be Jane.  Nice to sort of meet you too.  Is meeting over the phone considered actually meeting?”

“I vote no,” Jane said.

“But that’s mostly because she wants to meet you in person, so she’s going to pretend this doesn’t count,” Darcy added.

“I must say, I’m curious to meet some of your friends,” Spencer said.  “You’ve already met two of mine.”

“Speaking of,” Darcy said, “I know Penelope liked me.  She said so when I saw her a few hours ago.  What about Derek, though.  You didn’t tell me what he thought.”

“Uhmm,” Spencer said, sort of uncomfortable.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Jane said

“What did he say?” Darcy said, sounding a bit upset.  “I didn’t think I did anything weird.”

“One of my other friends, JJ, she thinks he’s just too overprotective.  Garcia had a bad experience about a year ago with a guy that was too good to be true.”

“Did he break her heart?”

“He shot her,” Spencer said.  Then, once he heard the sudden intake of breath from the women he added, “He was a killer that targeted her because she had flagged some of his cases in our database.  He thought she had figured him out.”

“Oh my god,” Darcy breathed.  “No wonder he hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Spencer argued.  “He just thinks you’re too good to be true.”

“If I ever meet him, I’m probably going to punch him,” Jane said.

“You won’t be the first,” Spencer laughed.  “Prentiss already smacked him and JJ isn’t too happy with him either.”

“They have good sense,” Jane said.  “I like them.”

“Ohhh!  You should come out to margarita night with us when they get back!”

“You guys are going out when we get back?” Spencer asked, surprised it had already been planned.

“Penelope sent me a text a little before you,” Darcy said.  “She wanted to know if I would mind if she invited some others when we went out.”

Spencer made a mental note to send some more flowers to Garcia for being so amazing at fulfilling his request to help get people on his side instead of Morgan’s.  “Sounds like fun,” he said with a touch of false cheer.

“What’s wrong?” Jane demanded.  “That wasn’t totally sincere.”

“I’m just a little jealous, I guess,” He said, putting it out there.  “You have plans with half my team, but we don’t have any plans for a second date.”

“Oh Spence!” Darcy sighed.  “I’m sorry.  I just, well, umm…”

“She wasn’t sure you wanted to go out again,” Jane said when Darcy couldn’t seem to get it out.

“Of course I do,” Spencer said, surprised that they had such similar insecurities.  “I just don’t know how long I’m going to be here, so I wasn’t sure what to say.”

“Maybe we can do coffee again when you get back?” Darcy suggested.

“Dinner!” Jane said, failing to hide the word with a cough.

“I, uh,” Spencer said, unsure how to say this, and very unsure he wanted to say it while Jane was there.  “I just need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay…” Darcy said, trailing off.

“Garcia said I should just tell you because talking is how you make things work.”

“Oh my god, if you are about to tell Darcy you have a girlfriend I am going to punch you instead of your friend,” Jane seethed.

“No!  That’s not it at all.”

“Then spit it out.”

“It’s just, last night was great, but it was a little bit too much too fast for me.”

“Did you sleep with him Darcy?”

“No!” Spencer and Darcy both said at the same time.  “We just kissed,” Darcy added.

“I’m not great with physical contact or relationships in general,” Spencer said, deciding in for a penny in for a pound.  “And while I really liked that kiss, it was a bit quick for me.”

“So coffee when you get back,” Darcy said easily.  “Is that slow enough?  If you want to go slower, we can, but I’m not sure what we can do instead of coffee if that’s too much.”

“No, coffee’s perfect,” Spencer said, relieved Darcy was taking this so well.

“What about texting?” Darcy asked.

“What about it?”

“Is that too much?  Can I text you while you’re gone?”

“I’d like that,” Spencer said.  “Thanks for not thinking I’m weird.”

“It’s not weird to take things slowly,” Darcy said in a voice that said there would be no argument.  “And anyone who feels differently is a dick.”

“I need to go soon,” Spencer said when he noticed Morgan had joined him in the lobby. “Some nights we don’t get to sleep at all, so I should take advantage of a chance to sleep while I can.”

“We know all about sleepless nights,” Darcy said.  “When you study the stars, you rarely get a chance to sleep at night.”

“You study the stars?” Spencer asked, wondering just what Darcy’s job was.

“I do, and she used to do it with me,” Jane said.  “Darcy was my intern for a few years.  That’s how we met.”

“I didn’t realize internships could last that long.”

“Once you’ve signed one government NDA together, you kind of stick together,” Darcy joked.

“We’ve had some interesting, classified times together,” Jane agreed.

“That’s how I got into government work,” Darcy added.  “Son of Coul offered me a job after London, but I was determined to use my degree.  But since that didn’t work, I decided to take him up on his offer.”

“Son of Coul?”

“His name is Coulson, but Jane’s boyfriend calls him Son of Coul, which I think is perfect.”

“That’s an interesting way of speaking.  English isn’t his first language, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” Darcy said laughing.  “You might say he’s not from around here.”

“So he must be the royalty you mentioned.”

“He is!”

“And while I really want to solve that mystery,” Spencer said as he looked back Morgan who was waving him over, “I really need to go now.”

“Bye Spence.  Have fun in Idaho.  I hope you solve the case quickly.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jane added.

“Bye ladies,” Spencer said as he hung up.

“Ladies?” Morgan asked from next to him.

“Darcy and her friend Jane,” Spencer clarified as he walked past Morgan.  “I assume you wanted me to come in because you want to get to sleep.”

“Uh, yeah,” Morgan said, clearly distracted.

Spencer didn’t respond, instead heading back to their room to change out of his clothes.  If Morgan wanted to talk, he wasn’t going to make it easy on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had most of this chapter written last night, and then inspiration hit this morning and I scrapped all of it to start over. I now have a MUCH better sense of whee this story is going overall.
> 
> Also, I am just 7 author followers here on AO3 from hitting 250 and doing my fic giveaway on tumblr!


	9. Texting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and Darcy text each other while he's in Idaho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a couple of questions about timelines, and I realized I've had it in my head but not said yet.  
> CM: Sometime a year after Garcia was shot, but AU otherwise. No specific season.  
> Marvel: Pre-Winter Soldier. AoS didn't happen. Everyone knows Coulson is alive.

**I will probably be out of cell range for the next few hours**

**There’s a lot of farmland out here with spotty coverage**

_Thanks for letting me know._

_Sometimes I worry too much, so now I won’t!_

_I’ll just leave you a million messages to come back to._

_Today one of my friends/coworkers took me to a range and taught me to shoot_

_I’m great with a taser, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to learn how to use a gun_

_It was oddly fun though_

_I think that might be because Clint is just a good teacher and funny guy_

_He has a partner he works with that he refuses to introduce me to_

_If I hadn’t seen video of her existence I might have thought he made her up_

_He keeps saying it would be “bad” for him if we met but I don’t see how_

_I’m going to figure out a way to meet her without him if he doesn’t cave soon_

_Waaaay back when I first met my boss he took my ipod_

_(He wasn’t my boss then of course)_

_But he never returned it because of the “greater good” or something_

_But today it was sitting on my desk_

_I replaced it like a year ago, but it was nice to have it back_

_Also my college playlists are a hot mess of awesome_

_I’m going to get him back for keeping it so long by making Britney’s Toxic play whenever he turns on his computer_

_He thinks I can’t see which playlists and songs were accessed and played_

_But he’s wrong_

_If he likes Toxic so much I’m going to make sure he gets to hear it plenty_

**I don’t know that song, but JJ laughed when I told her what you said**

_You don’t know Toxic?_

_Please tell me you’re at least familiar with Brittney Spears_

**I’ve heard of her.**

_Do you know any of her music?_

**Not really**

_When you’re ready for it, we are having a Britney kitchen dance party_

**I’m not really sure what that is**

_It’s when we hang out in my kitchen, probably making pancakes, and dance to Britney all night._

**Is that a real thing?**

_It’s a real Darcy thing._

_Gotta go.  Heading into a meeting with the boss man_

**Have a good meeting**

_That is three hours of my life I’m never getting back_

_It’s been a few hours since I’ve heard from you_

_I’m home now_

_Did you know that the expensive heels are totally worth it?_

_My feet don’t hurt like they used to with the cheap ones_

_Yay for paychecks that allow for high end footwear!_

_Do you have special shoes?_

_I’ve always wondered if there were special shoes for agents that looked nice but with the comfort and durability of running shoes_

_Because you totally have to run after bad guys and stuff_

_But look professional too_

_I’ve convinced myself these shoes exist_

_And are just as expensive as my heels_

_Sometimes living in DC is exhausting_

_There’s so much keeping up appearances_

_It’s not enough to have a suit_

_It has to have the current look or cut_

_It’s especially bad for women_

_We’re expected to be in style but not overly stylish_

_Made up but not too much_

_Dressed up and sexy but not too sexy_

_Sometimes I hate it_

_I miss the desert with Jane and oversized sweaters_

**There are shoes made to look like dress shoes but also for taking off after an unsub**

**They’re not as much as your heels, though**

**Only about $100 a pair**

_How much of a jerk am I that I’m a bit sad that you don’t have to suffer when you run because society dictates a certain look for you_

**Not too much of one.  Most of our female agents have to make choices I never would when they get dressed.**

_I need to get to bed.  I have to go in extra early tomorrow to prep for a video conference to London._

**Goodnight**

_I’m pretty sure I’m going to dream about heel/running shoe hybrids, so it’s bound to be an interesting night if not a good one._

_Hey Spence.  I’ve been super busy, but it’s been nearly 24 hours since I’ve heard from you_

_Is everything okay?_

_Are you okay?_

_36 hours…_

_That’s kind of a long time for not even a “hey, busy” text_

_Penelope says things got a little crazy there_

_Are you okay?_

**I’m sorry I made you worry**

**I’m fine**

**I got hit with a metal pipe and bruised my ribs**

**We didn’t have a signal and then they took my phone away at the hospital**

**We’re on our way to the plane to head home.**

_OH MY GOD_

_ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE OKAY?_

**Completely fine**

**Just a little sore**

_Can I make you a care package?_

_Is that too much?_

**I promise I’m fine**

_Just because you’re fine doesn’t mean you wouldn’t appreciate a care package_

**Fair enough**

**If you want to, you can make one.**

_I’m on it_

_Also, when do you want to get together?_

_I assume you need some time before you’ll feel up to coffee?_

**How about tomorrow night after you get off work?**

**I have a mandatory 48 hours off after the hospital.**

_Are you sure?_

**I won’t want to be in my apartment anymore, so yes, I’m sure.**

_Great!  Pick a place and I’ll text you when I’m done for the day so we can meet up._

**What is your favorite book?**

_With a name like “Darcy” it’s clearly Pride and Prejudice._

**I’m looking for a book to fill the time.**

**But I’ve already read that.**

_Reread?_

**I rarely reread.**

_Eidetic memory_

_I forgot_

**What about something you’ve read recently that you liked?**

_Depends what you’re into_

**Anything, really.**

_The I’m going to pick something I think you’d never pick up on your own but might actually enjoy_

**Try me**

_Beauty Queens-Libba Bray_

**Title alone suggests you are right, I would never pick that up on my own.**

**And a quick Google search shows me a cover I certainly wouldn’t have picked up**

_Go into it with an open mind.  We can talk about it over coffee._

_Tonight_

_We are going to coffee tonight_

**We are**

_Pick a place yet?_

**Bean me Up on 5 th?**

_Sounds perfect._

_I should be out of here at 5, so 6 sound good?_

**Looking forward to it**

_Me too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOO! I hit 250 user subscribers! After I publish this chapter, I'll be jumping over to tumblr to set up the fic giveaway.


	10. A Second Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and Darcy go on their date.

He sat in a dark car, windows the darkest legal tint, watching the door to Shield.  This was probably one of the easiest surveillance details he had ever been on.  His target didn’t take any real precautions to not be followed.  He had been watching her for the past two weeks, and she took the same route to work every day.  She had switched jobs in the middle, but she was very predictable besides that.  He had been surprised when he got the intel that she had quit.  He had already been waiting outside the Congressman’s building when his source inside told him she was gone.

Her hours at Shield were a lot less reliable, but he had all sorts of sources in there.  In fact, if he felt like it, he could go inside right now and go up to her desk and make some small talk, and she would never know who he was or who he worked for.  Tailing Darcy Lewis had to be the easiest job he’d ever taken.

Darcy made her way out of the building and headed away from the bus station she normally used.  “Interesting,” he muttered to himself as he put his car in gear and watched her movements.  He was determined to see what she was up to tonight.  He had been off the night she had quit her job, needing to take care of some recertifications, and his handler hadn’t been too pleased.  He was determined to have something useful to report to make up for it, and this looked promising.

He eased his car down the road, following her as she walked.  When she darted into a coffee shop, he parked and followed her inside.  While he ordered a coffee and scone, he watched her scan the crowd.  Her face lit up with a smile and she made her way to a table out of his line of sight.  Once his drink was ready, he took an open seat near her and got out a notebook both to look like he had a reason to be there and to take notes.

She was with a man.  His boss wouldn’t like that.  The man was tall and gangly and sat very stiffly.  Every now and then he would place a hand on his side and give a small wince.  He carefully took a picture of the man and sent it to be analyzed. 

“Here is your care package,” Darcy said as she handed the man a bag.

“You really didn’t have to,” the man said with a fond smile.

“No, but I wanted to.  I like doing this kind of thing. Also, you got HIT WITH A PIPE.  I worried.  This is how I relieve that worry.”

He watched as the man pulled out a bag of coffee, a box of sugar, and three books.

“Have you read any of those?”  Darcy asked.  “I tried to be a little out there with my choices.”

“I haven’t.  Thank you.”

“I know you’re back to work tomorrow, but I figured you could read them on the plane or something,” she said with a small shrug.

“I will, though the team might give me a strange look.”

“Liking a girl does crazy things to a guy.  Use that as your defense.”

That sounded like confirmation that this was a date and not a friendly meet up.  The boss was really not going to like this.

“Speaking of my team, when are you all getting drinks?”

His phone pinged with an incoming message:  **Dr. Spencer Reid**

“Tomorrow night if you guys aren’t gone again.  They wanted to go tonight, but I told them I already had plans.”

“That would explain why Garcia was wondering if she could visit me tonight.”

“She might have just wanted to check on you.  A pipe to the ribs isn’t exactly a normal thing.”

“She’s also nosy.  She might have been concerned about me, but she also wanted to know if I was your plans.”

“Well you are, and I fully expect to be grilled about it tomorrow night.”

He would definitely be tailing her tomorrow night.  He sent a new text: **Occupation?**

“I’m sorry they’re like that.  It can be hard to turn it off.”

“They’re not going to grill me because they can’t stop being who they are.  They’re going to grill me because they are your friends and girls.  They want what’s best for you, but they also want to know the good gossip.  If you think I didn’t grill Jane about her boy-toy, you are sadly mistaken.”

“Speaking of Jane, did I make a good impression?”

**FBI.  BAU.**   He smirked at his phone.  Taking Dr. Reid out would be simple if necessary.  Profilers weren’t the same as real agents.

“Jane is reserving judgement until she meets you.  Or so she says.  But she’s super easy to read.  She is cautiously optimistic about you.”

“Why cautiously?”

“Just like Morgan is overprotective because of Penelope’s incident, Jane is overprotective because of an incident of my own.”

“What happened?  I mean, if you want to tell me.  You don’t have to.”

“No, you have a right to know.  My last boyfriend was my intern in London.”

“Weren’t you an intern?”

Darcy laughed.  “I was.  But Jane needed an intern that could do science, so we hired him.  I called him my intern because I wanted to be able to boss him around, and Jane liked that hierarchy.”

“So what happened?”

“After….things went down in London, I told him I was moving back to the US to use my degree, and Jane was no longer in need of his help.  There were….extenuating circumstances that made his presence a little unnecessary.  Anyway, he flipped.  He was mad I was leaving England and mad about the job being over.  A few nights before I left, he went crazy.  He begged me to come over and talk, so I did.  Big mistake.”

“What did he do?”

The man leaned in a little.  She was talking about his handler, and he was surprisingly interested to know more about the man.

“He took my phone and tied me to a chair.  He went on and on about how we were supposed to be together and I was ruining everything.  Luckily I had told Jane where I was going and told her to come for me if she couldn’t get in touch with me after an hour.  She showed up with her boyfriend and that was pretty much that.  I moved my plane ticket up to the next day and got a new number when I landed.”

The man frowned.  He had been told Darcy Lewis was a person of interest, but given her story, that seemed to only be partially true.

“Have you heard from him since?”

“I did for a while.  My work email was public knowledge, and he sent me a few emails there.  I blocked him and didn’t read anything he sent me.  Since I’ve moved to Shield I haven’t heard from him.”

“You work for Shield?” Spencer asked.

“Did I not tell you that before?”

“No, you just said an alphabet agency that wasn’t the FBI.”

“Huh.  Well, yeah.  It’s Shield.”

Maybe she was a person of interest because of what she could do within Shield?  But he had been tailing her before she was even there.  He suddenly wished he had been given more intel on his target than a name and address.  What had she been involved in when she was in London?  He knew his handler had been undercover, so maybe it was all related.

“If you and Jane had run ins with them, it’s no wonder you have NDAs and classified history.”

“Sometimes it really sucks.  Technically I’m not even supposed to tell you Jane’s last name because my work with her is classified.  But I’m pretty sure it’ll be obvious when you meet her.”

“And when will that be?”

“Spencer Reid, are you asking me on another date?”

“Is it a date if Jane is with us?”

“Hmmm, could be, but probably not.  Maybe we could do drinks at a pub?  You could invite your team and I’ll bring Jane.  Maybe Clint?  He wants to meet you too, and I’ve been telling him not until I meet his partner.  Maybe my boss?  He definitely needs to get out more too.”

“Are you sure?  My team can be a bit overwhelming.”

“Eh.  I’m meeting JJ and Emily tomorrow, so it won’t be too bad.  How about Friday night if you guys are still in town?”

“I’ll ask them and see what they think.”

“Perfect,” Darcy said with a smile.  “But I’ve got to get going.  Jane and I have an important meeting tomorrow, and I need to look over some things to prepare.”

“I thought you didn’t work for Jane anymore.”

“I don’t, but this is kind of a big deal.  I’m helping her with contracts for a potential new job.”

“That you can’t tell me about.”

“Correct.”

“I guess this is goodnight then.”

“I think so,” Darcy said standing.  “Can I hug you?  I don’t think you want a kiss, but maybe a hug?”

“Sure.  A hug is fine.”

He watched as they hugged and then left.  He should follow her home to make sure she didn’t make any more stops, but he had a lot to think about and reports to write.  Tonight had been very fruitful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fic giveaway is live on my tumblr if that's your jam! You have until 6 PM AZ time to enter!
> 
> Also, if you're into book themed parties, my latest Totally Lit Party is now on FYA.


	11. Girl's Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Jane meet up with Garcia, Prentiss, and JJ.

Darcy was just as nervous now as she had been when she and Jane met Pepper for lunch, which was ridiculous because none of them were Pepper freaking Potts who was basically all Darcy ever hoped to be (minus the difficult to corral boyfriend).  But here she was, practically trembling in her boots as she went to walk into the bar.  Jane grabbed her hand, and she knew she could feel her shaking.

“It will be okay, Darcy,” Jane said.  “They are going to love you.  And if they don’t, well, I have an experimental portal we can try out on them.”

“Thanks Jane,” Darcy said, squeezing her hand.  “I don’t know why I’m so worried.”

“Because you want to make a good impression.  You want them to like you, and you know one of their teammates doesn’t.”

“But I’m just as nervous as I was for lunch.”

“Pepper is your idol.  These people are potentially your friends for however long you and Spencer are together.  They have more power to make your life miserable than Pepper, simply because they will be part of your everyday life.”

“I kind of love that Pepper could destroy me, though.”

“After the lunch we had, I doubt she would want to.  Now, suck it up because we’re going in.” Jane led the way, pulling Darcy behind her.  Suddenly she stopped and turned around.  “You should totally be leading.  I don’t know what anyone looks like.”

“I only know Penelope,” Darcy said scanning the crowd.  “There!  See the girl with the blond hair and colorful glasses?  That’s her.”

As they neared the table, Penelope started waving.  “Over here!”

Sitting at the table were two woman Darcy didn’t know, but assumed were JJ and Emily.  She imagined them as panthers; all deadly beauty.  She took a deep breath before walking into the table space.  “Hi!  I’m Darcy, and this is my friend Jane.”

“Hi,” the brunette said, “I’m Emily, that’s JJ, and you know Penelope.  Join us,” she said waving at the empty chairs.

“Are we expecting anyone else?” Darcy asked, looking at the two additional empty chairs.

“Not if they know what’s good for them,” Penelope said.  “We just weren’t sure if you would bring anyone besides Jane.”

“Jane’s pretty much it for girl friends in the city,” Darcy said.  “Everywhere I’ve worked as been basically a boy’s club.”

“Tell me about it,” Emily muttered.

“Darcy made a new friend today,” Jane offered.  “But she already had plans for tonight.”

“Friend is kind of a strong word.”

“Darcy, she offered you a job on the spot that she created out of thin air because she liked you.  I think that’s friendly.”

“No,” Darcy argued, “that’s just an eye for talent.”

“Anyone we might know?” JJ asked.

“Pepper Potts,” Jane said before Darcy could decide if she wanted them to know.

“Are you serious?” Emily asked.  “You had a meeting with Pepper Potts today?”

“Actually, Jane did.  She was making a job offer to Jane, and I came along for moral support.”

“She came along to make sure I didn’t sign away my life.”

“In any case, yes, we met her today.  I think it went pretty well.”

“Is she as fabulous in person as she is on TV and in magazines?” Penelope asked.

“You have no idea,” Darcy signed.  “She practically glows and you just want to bask in it.  Here,” she said turning her phone toward them.  “She took a picture with us.  I’m going to make one of those photo blanket things so I can cuddle with her at night.”

“So what do you do, Jane?”  Emily asked.  “Must be something important if Pepper Potts came to offer you a job in person.”

“I’m a scientist.”

“What kind?  Engineer?”

“Astrophysicist.”

“Are you…..” JJ said staring at her.  “Are you Jane _Foster_?”

“She is,” Darcy said, beaming at her best friend.

“What does that mean?”  Penelope asked.  “I’m sorry, your name isn’t familiar to me.”

“Technically pretty much anything I could say to clue you in is classified,” Jane said.  “Shield made sure of that.  However, Pepper negotiated a release of most of my data, so I’ll be able to publish a lot more soon.”

“Jane Foster is the leading expert on the Einstein–Rosen bridge,” Emily said, taking pity on Penelope.  “The crazy portal thing that everyone said couldn’t be real until Thor arrived.”

“So did Darcy work for the government and that’s how you met?” JJ asked.

“No, I was her intern a few years ago.”

“She was there when everyone else thought I was a crackpot.”

“I learned about Shield while working with Jane.  That’s when I got my first job offer.  After the mess in London, it became a standing offer.”

“You guys were in London when those aliens attacked?”

“We’re not allowed to talk about it.”

“Which means yes.”

“Enough about things we can’t actually talk about.  I want the dirt on your date last night,” Penelope said.

“Is that why you couldn’t go out last night?” Emily asked with a slight twinkle in her eye.

“Yes,” Darcy said, feeling a blush heat her cheeks.  “We just went out for coffee.”

“You say ‘just coffee’ like it’s something Spencer normally does.

“Didn’t you guys have a chance to grill him at work today?  Don’t you already know everything?”

“Like Reid would actually tell us any good details.”

“He probably doesn’t know what the good details are,” JJ added.

“So spill,” Penelope demanded.  “We want to know everything.”

“There’s not much to tell,” Darcy said.  “We met up for coffee when I got off work.  I gave him a little care package because I was worried about him after he got hurt, and we talked.  That’s all.”

“You’re just as bad at giving the goods as he is,” Emily complained.  “What did you give him?  How did he like it?”

“Just some coffee and books.  As for if he liked it, he said thank you?”

“Was the coffee hazelnut?”

“Yes?”

“He liked it.  He brought in coffee in a travel cup and he never does that.  He always just drinks what’s in the office.”

“Adorable,” Jane sighed.  “I need to meet him.  I haven’t even seen a picture yet!”

“That won’t do,” Penelope said, flicking through her phone.  “Here.”  She handed Jane the phone.  “That’s him with his travel mug today.  He seemed too happy to not sneak a picture.”

“I can totally see you with him,” Jane said to Darcy as she handed the phone back.  “But we need a picture of you two together.”

“You can get one Friday when we all go out.”

“That reminds me,” Jane said as she turned to the others, “which of you smacked Derek already?  Because there’s a decent chance I’m going to punch him on Friday.”

“Jane!”

“Well I am!  I can’t believe he doesn’t like you.”

“He doesn’t know me.  He’s barely met me.”

“He’s just a bit overprotective,” Penelope said.  “He’ll love you once he gets to know you.”

“Are you sure?”

“If he doesn’t,” Emily said, “we’ll form a line behind Jane.”

“Prentiss!” JJ scolded.

“What?  Sometimes Morgan gets a little big for his britches.  Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to knock that smirk he gets off his face.”

“If I went around punching every guy that had a cocky smirk on his face, most of the FBI would have black eyes.”

“A toast!” Darcy said.  “To being kickass women despite the men that surround us!”

Everyone clinked glasses, and Darcy knew everything was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miiiight not post again until Tuesday. I'm not sure what's happening this long weekend.
> 
> There's still time to enter my fic giveaway over on tumblr!


	12. Garcia Snoops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garcia snoops into Darcy's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long weekend was an awesome time or me to take a break and refresh. AND, I totally have through chapter 15 written!

Spencer sat at his desk doing consulting paperwork for a few cases the team had been asked for an opinion on (but not been called in for).  He sipped his coffee and wished for a cup of the stuff Darcy had bought him.  He had left his mug on the table this morning, though, so that wasn’t to be.  A large, colorful bag plunked down on his desk, startling him a bit, but he didn’t look up.

“What can I do for you, Garcia?”

“Do you know who your girlfriend is?”

“Darcy Lewis.”

“But do you know who she is?” Penelope persisted.

Spencer put down his pen and looked up at her.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Garcia said, pulling up a chair, “what do you know about who she is, where she came from, what her past is?”

“I know her best friend is Jane, and that Jane is a scientist that Darcy worked for as an intern for several years.  I know she works for Shield.”

“Oh honey,” Garcia cooed, “there is so much you don’t know.”  She pulled out a laptop and turned it on.  Spencer noticed others looking while trying to be discrete.  It wasn’t working.

“Why don’t we go to your office?” Spencer asked.

Garcia looked up and around the room.  “Okay,” she agreed, shutting the lid on her laptop.  The damage was done, though.  Spencer could tell that when he came back to his desk there were going to be a lot of questions.

“I thought you liked Darcy,” Spencer said as they made their way to her office.

“I do!  She’s amazing!  Which is why I had to look up all the stuff she couldn’t tell us.”

“I don’t follow.”

“If she’s this cool with what we _are_ allowed to know, think how insane the rest of it must be.”  Garcia unlocked her door.  “Besides, Morgan asked me to.”

“So you did?” Spencer said, upset.  “I thought we had a deal!”

“We do!” Garcia said quickly.  “It’s just that I was curious.  I never told him I would actually do it, so I figured if what I found was good, I could just share it like I had done what he had asked.  If not, I would just blow him off and say I never told him I would do it.”

Spencer frowned but said, “Okay.  What did you find?” As he slid into a chair and watched her log in to the system.

“So much,” Garcia said emphatically.  “Like, did you know she knows Thor?”

“The god slash Avenger?”

“Yes.”

“How does she know him?”

“She was there when he first came to Earth!”

“In New York?”

“No, New Mexico.”

“I think we’re jumping around.  Start at the beginning.”

“Right,” Garcia said a she pulled up a screen for him to look at.  “So, last night we met Jane Foster, who I had never heard of.”

“You met Jane Foster?  She’s one of the most cutting edge astrophysicists.  If she can get something substantial published, she’s probably going to win a Nobel.  How did you meet her?”

“Darcy’s Jane is Jane Foster.”

Spencer sat stunned for a moment that he hadn’t put that together.  “Okay,” he said slowly, “so you looked up Jane.”

“Right.  And when Darcy was Jane’s intern in New Mexico, Thor came to Earth.  It was in the middle of the desert, and there was a whole battle with some sort of fire breathing robot thing, and it was all kept quiet by Shield.  But Darcy totally hacked the DMV and made him a fake ID.  Apparently when he left, it was on friendly terms with Darcy, Jane, and another scientist named Erik. And when I say friendly, I mean the bed-rocking sort.  Jane is dating Thor.”

“What?” Spencer asked not because he didn’t understand but because he was so surprised.

“It was all in Jane’s file,” Garcia explained.  “Your girlfriend is a badass.”

“I knew that before you went digging into her past.”

“But now you have additional confirmation!”

“What if she didn’t want me to know these things?”  Spencer worried.  “What if she feels like me knowing them is an invasion of her privacy?”

“Oh, honey,” Garcia said, putting a hand on his shoulder.  “I think she really was trying to keep her secrets like she had to.  I think it would probably be a relief to her if you did know.  Is there some reason you think she wouldn’t want you to know?”

“I just don’t know that she would like us using our resources to hack into government files to check on her.  I wouldn’t like it if someone had done that to me.”

“What’s in your past that you’re trying to hide from her?” Garcia asked.

“Nothing.  It just feels wrong somehow.”

“Well, okay,” Garcia said, pulling back from him.  “I’m sorry.  I just really like her.”

“I do too.  And I don’t want to do anything that might screw that up.”

“And your worried that I just screwed that up.  I get it.  Don’t worry.  I’ll tell her what I did and that you had no part in it.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yes I do, Reid.  It will make you feel better if she knows what happened and that you had nothing to do with it.  I’ll tell her.”

“And can you maybe keep this to just us for now?  I know Morgan will want to know what you found out, but maybe we can keep him out of it?”

“Sure.”

“I’m sorry.  I just want him to actually meet her and see for himself how wrong he is.  I don’t want it to be words on a report that fix things for him.  I want him to realize he was wrong without additional intel.”

“Not a problem. My lips are sealed,” Garcia said, making a zipping motions.

Spencer got up from his chair and walked out the door.  “Thanks,” he called over his shoulder.  “You really are a good friend.”

“Sugar, I already knew that.”


	13. Meeting with Phil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy asks if Phil's free Friday night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you like it!

“Sooooo,” Darcy said as she delivered lunch to Coulson. “Is there anything going on Friday?”

“You’re in charge of my schedule, Darcy.  You already know the answer to that question.”

“Right, but I didn’t mean here.”

Phil looked up from the paperwork he had been glued to and looked Darcy over.  “What did you mean, then?”

“I meant,” she said, playing with the hem of her shirt a bit, “do you have plans for Friday night?”

The was a beat of silence before Phil said slowly, “I’m flattered, but us going on a date would be inappropriate.  I am your boss.”

“Not what I meant!” Darcy said, bright red.  “I was trying to get some people together to go out Friday night!”

“Oh,” Phil said, his own cheeks a bit pink.  “Why is that?”

“Why is what?”

“Why are you trying to get some people together on Friday?”

“To go out and have fun?”

“No,” Phil said, looking at her once again.  “There’s something more to it.”

“Well,” she said stalling a bit.  “I’m meeting up with some other people and I’d like some back-up.”

Suddenly Phil was on high alert.  “Why do you need back-up?  Is someone threatening you?  Are you being coerced or blackmailed?”

“No, no,” she said quickly.  “Nothing like that.”

Phil’s face softened.  “Take a seat Darcy,” he said as he put his paperwork to the side and started pulling their lunch out of the bag Darcy had placed on the desk.  “Why don’t you start at the beginning and explain it all to me over lunch?”

“Are we about to have one of those moments that solidifies us as work husband and wife?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you ever noticed that there’s usually someone you work with that tends to be the opposite sex that you click with and you start to act like an old married couple?  Like you can anticipate each other’s thoughts and needs and you do a lot of stuff together?”

“And who was your ‘work husband’ at your last job?”

“I didn’t have one.  That might be why it didn’t work out.  But think about all your time with Jane and I.  Tell me we weren’t basically married.”  She waited, but Phil didn’t say anything.  “Exactly,” she said.  “So is this going to solidify us like that?”

“I honestly don’t know.  Why don’t we just have the moment and see what it brings.”

“You are always so wise.  You’re good at balancing me out.  This is already working, I can tell.”

“Darcy,” Phil said with a little exasperated huff, “please just tell me what’s going on.”

“Right.  Good.  Okay,” Darcy said before shoveling in a mouthful of rice.  “So a few weeks ago I met a guy at the flower shop.”

“The one where you bought the ‘I quit’ flowers?”

“I prefer to call them ‘fuck you’ flowers, but yes.  How did you know about that?”

“Shield has eyes and ears everywhere,” Phil said, brushing off the question.

“Yes,” Darcy said, ignoring his statement, “those flowers.  He’s responsible for the bouquet because he knew just how to say what I wanted using Victorian flower language.  Obviously it was love at first sight.”

“Obviously.”

“So we decided to get coffee, but first we visited his friend in the hospital because that’s who he was getting flowers for.”

“Why not meet up later for coffee once he was done?”

“What?  And risk him not showing up?” Darcy scoffed. “I don’t think so.  Anyway, we went to visit his friend who was super cool, but one of his other friends was also visiting and dude did not like me.”

“What did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did something so he didn’t like me?  Spencer said he’s just super overprotective and always worried about things that seem ‘too good to be true’ which apparently includes me.”

“That’s sort of flattering.”

“It would be if he didn’t hate me.”  Phil nodded his head in acknowledgement while he took another bite of lunch.  “So we went out for coffee and it was probably the best date I’ve ever been on.  He immediately got called away for wok the next day.”

“Suspicious.”

“Not really.  He works for the FBI, and that’s a thing that can happen a lot to them.”

“Which department?”

“BAU.  Anyway, so he got called out to Idaho, and we just texted each other while he was gone.  Then he came back and we did another truly excellent coffee date at this amazing Star Trek themed coffee shop that I can’t wait to go back to.  He was just so nice, and such a gentleman, ya know?  And it felt sincere.  Nothing felt wrong about it at all.  So then I promised his friend that was out of the hospital that I would meet up with her and some of the other ladies from the BAU and we got drinks.”

“How did that go?”

“Jane came with me, so it went pretty well.  They all seemed to like me, so, clearly I like them.”

“Clearly.”

“Anyway, he kind of wants to do a drinks thing on Friday with all of his team, which I am for because I want to meet the rest of them, and I want to make a better impression on the one that didn’t like me, but I don’t want to go alone.  Jane already said yes, but I thought maybe you could come too?” She ended, finally taking a breath and eating some more of her lunch.

“Why me?” Coulson asked.  His inflection made Darcy think he genuinely didn’t know why she would want him to come along.

“Because you’re a good judge of character for one.  You can tell me if you feel like something’s wrong.  I mean, I feel like I should know, but after everything with Ian…”

“What do you mean ‘everything with Ian’?”

“The whole tying me up thing?”

“Darcy, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“When I let him go for Jane and told him I was moving back to the US, he went a little crazy.  He was super upset about the break-up and begged me to come see him one more time a few days before I left.  So I did.  But when I got there, he took my phone and overpowered me and tied me to a chair and ranted about how we were meant to be and I was ruining everything.”

“Why didn’t you file a report?” Phil asked, very serious. 

“Why would I?” Darcy asked.  “It wasn’t Shield related.”

Phil pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I forgot you didn’t know,” he said with a shake of his head.  “We’re going to need a full write-up about this.”

“Didn’t know what?” Darcy asked, worried about the answer.

“Didn’t know he was undercover for us to make sure you guys were safe,” Phil said.

“Was dating me part of his cover?” She asked in a small voice.

“No.  In fact, that was pretty against the rules.”

“Oh,” was all Darcy said.

Phil looked at her until she looked up at him.  “Darcy, I’ll go Friday and make sure everything is fine, and we will get things together so I can take care of the Ian issue.”

“Thanks Phil,” Darcy said sincerely.

“I’ll come too!” Clint called rom the vent.  Darcy glared at the ceiling and hoped he could see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, today I had a not so great experience with a spider (tumblr has the details if you want to know), so I'd love to know your favorite thing to do when you're scared.


	14. Get Your Drink On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's all go to the bar!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! I'm so sorry! I thought I had posted today already, and then I realized I hadn't! Sorry for the delay!

Spencer sat at the table, his fingers wrapped around his beer, slowly becoming wet from the condensation.  They had been sitting there for ten minutes when Darcy had sent him a text that she would be a little late because of an issue at work, but that they were leaving in the next five minutes and would be there soon.  So now he had a little extra time to get even more nervous and worried about how the rest of the team was going to like Darcy.

“So where is she Spencer?” Rossi asked.  “The way you pushed us out the door today, I thought she would be here by now.”

“She got stuck at work, but she said she’d be on her way in five minutes.”

“And do you believe that?” Morgan asked.

“She works for the government too,” Emily said, smacking Derek upside the head.  “So yes, I believe that.”

“But she’s just a secretary,” Morgan complained while he ran his hand over the back of his head.

“Just a secretary?” JJ said with steel in her voice.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just what could she have to keep her late?”

“She’s bringing her boss,” Spencer said, annoyed.  “So she’s waiting for him.”

“Is she bringing Jane again?” Penelope asked, excited.  “I liked her.  She had some good stories.”

“I believe so,” Spencer said.  “I’m pretty sure she said Jane, her boss, and a coworker.”

“What do we know about Jane?” Morgan asked.

“How about you just wait and see?” Prentiss said.  “It’s just a friendly beer.  No need to have a file about everyone before we actually meet them.”

“But you all already met her.”

“We did,” JJ said with a smile.  “And you’ll simply have to wait your turn.”

Spencer shot a smile at the ladies as a silent thank you for being so awesome about all of this.  Garcia elbowed him from the other side.  “They’re here!” She whispered to him.

Spencer looked up, and sure enough, Darcy was on her way over with someone that had to be Jane and two men.

“Sorry we’re late!” She said as they came up to the table.  “Phil was in a meeting that just wouldn’t end.”

Spencer looked at the two men.  The one in the suit had to be Phil.  His entire demeanor screamed “boss.”  The other man was wearing black tactical pants and a t-shirt with a purple bullseye on it.  That had to be her co-worker, though he was decidedly dressed down compared to Darcy.

“Phil Coulson!”  Rossi exclaimed.  “It’s been an age!”

“Dave?” Phil said, surprised.  “You didn’t tell me Dave would be here,” he sad to Darcy.

She shrugged.  “I didn’t know.  Maybe we should do introductions.”

“Of course!” Rossi said.  “Spencer?”

“Oh, umm, sure.  You already know Emily Prentiss, JJ, and Penelope Garcia,” he said motioning to them.  “And over here we have Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, and Dave Rossi.”

“Nice to meet you all!” Darcy said with enthusiasm that made Spencer’s heart skip a beat.  “I’m Darcy.  That’s Jane, this is Phil, and that lug over there who totally wasn’t invited is Clint.”  She looked at Spencer.  “I’m so sorry.  He heard me inviting Phil and invited himself.”

“I thought you said you were going to invite him.”

“Ha!” Clint whooped.  “I knew it!”

“You look familiar,” Derek said to Clint.  “Where do I know you from?”

Clint scratched the back of his neck.  “Uhhh, I’m not sure?”

“Chocolate Bear, do you not have eyes?” Penelope asked.  “Don’t you know Clint Barton when you see him?”

“Clint Barton?” Derek said, eyes suddenly a touch wider.  “As in Hawkeye?”

“Yeah, but people usually just call me Clint,” he said with a shit-eating grin and wink to Penelope.

“Come sit by momma,” Penelope demanded, and Clint happily obliged, taking the seat across from her.  Darcy took a look at the seats and decided to take the open one between Penelope and Spencer, motioning to the seat across from the one she was going to take to Jane.  Phil took the last seat over by Rossi and Hotchner.

“So,” Darcy said, looking at the glasses of beer on the table.  “What’s everyone drinking?”

“Special tonight is PBR and Hardywood Cream Ale.”

“I know what Clint’s drinking then,” Darcy said with a wrinkled nose.

“C’mon D, PBR isn’t that bad!” Clint whined.

“Oh trust me, I went to college,” Darcy said.  “But then I graduated and didn’t have to drink swill anymore.”

“Well….” Jane said. 

“We do not speak of that night!” Darcy cried, cutting her off.

“We’d have to remember it to speak of it,” Jane muttered.

“True story,” Darcy said with a grin.  “But that’s also a good reason to never drink PBR again.  I’ll go get us drinks.  I know what Clint wants, usual for you Jane?”

“Yup.”

“What about you, Phil?”

“How about the other special?” Phil said.

“Got it.  I’ll be back!”

“Let me help you,” Spencer said, standing too.  “There will be more beers than you have hands,” he added, worried that it was weird he wanted to join her.

“Perfect,” she said with a smile that made him blush.  “We’ll be right back!” she added to the table.

He followed her to the bar and waited while she placed the order with the bartender.  “So did I do okay?” She asked when she was done.

“What do you mean?”

“Did I make an okay impression, do you think?”

“Well I think Rossi probably likes you because he likes your boss.  Hotch is a little harder to read, and you haven’t had much of an interaction with him.

“And Derek?” She pressed.

“Give him time to realize he was wrong.”

“Patience isn’t exactly one of my virtues.”

“Then let’s hope you don’t have to wait long.”

She smiled at him and turned back to the bar to grab the drinks.  He grabbed two as well, their hands brushing and giving him a small electric thrill.  He was going to ask to walk her home tonight, and, if she would let him, he was going to kiss her, he decided.  Now if only he could make it through drinks without looking like a fool in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll are seriously good at coming up with ways to deal with scary things. I love you all!


	15. Derek's Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Morgan to get a little perspective.

Derek swirled his beer before taking a swallow.  He watched as Rossi and Coulson engaged in an animated conversation about some shared time from their past.  Coulson seemed like a decent guy.  He was more reserved than Rossi, but had sharp eyes and occasionally looked over the group, eyes lingering on him and giving him just a little bit of an itch under his skin.  He could tell he was being judged, though whether or not he was passing was yet to be seen.  Clint was flirting shamelessly with all the women on his side except for Jane and Darcy.  He was pretty good at giving a compliment, but his body was tense even though his words were relaxed.  He didn’t spare Derek a second glance after the introduction.  He had heard Clint offer to go to the range with Prentiss, and he felt a flare of jealousy.  He was just as good if not better than Prentiss with a gun.  He should be the one good naturedly suggesting a contest at the range.  But no, he had to be a jerk about Darcy, and now he was paying for it.

He looked over to the bar where Spencer and Darcy were chatting while waiting for the drinks she was buying.  Something was still bugging him, but even he had to admit he didn’t have a lot to go on.  She really did seem into Reid.  She blushed and stammered and watched him with admiration when he wasn’t looking at her.  And for his part, Reid was pretty gone on her too.  He touched her more than he had ever touched anyone else, at least as far as Derek had seen.  It still wasn’t a lot, but when he was so anti-touch, any touching kind of stuck out.

As Spencer and Darcy made their way back to the table, he noticed that he was the only one not participating in a conversation, all because he was being stubborn.  Maybe it was time he gave Darcy another chance.

“Everyone have a drink?” Darcy asked after she deposited the last drink in front of Jane.  “Okay, then a toast!  To old friends and new!”

“Cheers!” Rang out and everyone tapped glasses.

“So Spence, think you’re going to be called out again soon?”  Darcy asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.  “JJ or Hotch would have a better idea.”

“Nothing’s come across my desk that we’ll be out in the field for,” JJ said.  “At least not yet.”

“And I, for one, am going to enjoy an actual weekend,” Prentiss said with a happy sigh.

“So what are everyone’s weekend plans, then?”

“A pedicure and wine for sure,” Prentiss sad.

“I’ll probably try to have a date night with my husband,” JJ added.

“I’ll be prepping to head into the field on Monday,” Jane said.  “There are some readings I want to take up in Maine.”

“Morgan and I have a standing movie date whenever we have a weekend off.  Don’t we Sugar Lips?”

“You know we do, Babygirl.”  He said, happy to be brought into the conversation.  “I think there’s a new Disney film coming out.”

Garcia clapped her hands.  “Perfect!” She said.  “This last case was a huge downer, so I’m ready for something to cheer me up.”

“Do you two have plans?” Morgan asked Spencer and Darcy.  “You could join us.”

He watched surprise flicker across both their faces before Spencer said, “I could do tomorrow night.  What about you Darcy?”

Darcy looked over to Jane who nodded her head before Darcy said, “Looks like I’m clear too.  Sounds like fun.”

“Can I come too?” Clint asked with a lazy smile.

“Hush you,” Darcy commanded.  “You weren’t even invited today.”

“I was supposed to be,” Clint pouted.

“But you had to go and invite yourself before I could invite you,” Darcy said.  “So, therefore, not invited.”

Derek watched the exchange with rapt attention.  Clint Barton was an Avenger, and here Darcy was treating him like a petulant child.  She gave no consequence to his celebrity.  They seemed to have an easy banter.  They must have known each other for a while for things to be this smooth.

“Why don’t you hit on Jane?” He suddenly asked.  He must have known Jane as long as he had known Darcy.  “I’ve seen you lay down the compliments with the other ladies, but not with Jane.  Why?”

Clint laughed as though this was funny, though Derek didn’t see how it was.  “I value my life too highly for it to ever get back to Jane’s boyfriend that I was hitting on her.”

“Is he possessive?” Derek asked.  Jane didn’t seem like a woman who would do well with a jealous boyfriend.

“He doesn’t really understand meaningless flirting when it’s applied to his Lady Jane,” Darcy said.

“Lady Jane?” Derek asked.  “Is he from a renaissance faire?”

“Sort of,” Darcy said with a snort.

“Her boyfriend is Thor,” Clint said, taking pity on him.

“Oh,” he said blinking a bit.  That meant Darcy was friends with two Avengers.  And she must be as close to Thor as she was to Clint if her best friend was dating him.  Suddenly some of her coy remarks and reticence to say things made a lot of sense.  Darcy probably had a more classified life than the BAU did.

“Why don’t you come get a manicure with me?” Prentiss asked Clint.  “I’m sure your hands could use some love and I haven’t made the appointment yet.”

“Yes,” Clint said emphatically.  “But my partner will be pissed if I get my nails done without her.  She has access to some seriously great spas.  Let her book it for us.”

“NO FAIR,” Darcy said, startling him.  “Emily gets to meet Natasha before I do?!”

“I’m sorry, did I just agree to getting my nails done with the Black Widow?” Prentiss said, a little stunned.

“She prefers Natasha, but yes,” Clint drawled.

Prentiss quickly pulled a pen from her purse and wrote on a napkin.  “Here’s my number.  Let me know what time tomorrow.”

Darcy leaned across Penelope to loudly whisper to Emily, “And then tell me when and where so I can stalk you and finally meet the elusive Natasha.”

“She won’t like that,” Coulson said, piping in.  “She doesn’t like surprises.”

“Then Clint can tell her I’m going to gate crash,” Darcy shrugged.

Coulson shook his head fondly at Darcy.  “You’ll meet her when you meet her.”

Darcy wrinkled her nose.  “I don’t know why everyone is so interested in keeping us separate.”

“I’m honestly terrified what you two would do together,” Clint said.  “If you two team up against me…”

“Why would we do that?” Darcy asked overly sweetly.

“Because you’re still not over me eating the last of your M&Ms.”

“You ate the last of the emergency chocolate?” Jane asked, horrified.  “Do you have a death wish?”

“No,” Clint said.  “And that’s why she can’t meet Nat.”

Derek leaned back and watched everyone talk about pranking friends and coworkers.  He still had a slightly off feeling about Darcy, but he was beginning to think it was because there were things she couldn’t say in the same way he couldn’t say everything.  He just needed some more time with her and maybe tomorrow night would be a good start to making up for everything.


	16. Texts From That Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Texts while everyone was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to call this "texts from last night," but the next chapter will still be the same night so that won't work.

Clint:  I’m trying to get us out of this debrief

Clint:  Hill is taking forever.

Clint:  It’s like she knows we have plans and resents us

Darcy:  Get out soon please and thank you

Darcy:  Also, if I knew her better, she totally would have been invited

Darcy:  We’re just not on that friendship tier yet.

Darcy:  But maybe someday now that I know she wishes

Clint:  Not everyone needs to be part of your friendship project

Darcy:  You’re just mad you’re not

Clint:  HEY

Clint:  Maybe I won’t try so hard to get out of here.

Darcy:  Too late.  I took care of it.

Clint:  How….?

\--

Darcy:  I will take you out for the best margaritas of your life if you wrap up that debrief.

Maria:  Who is this?

Maria:  How did you get this number?

Darcy:  This is a maybe-someday-friend

Darcy:  And seriously-go enjoy a Friday night

Darcy:  Also, re: getting your #

Darcy:  It wasn’t hard

Maria:  And I should trust you because?

Darcy:  Because if I wanted to lure you to your death, I wouldn’t use the best margaritas in town

Darcy:  Though the neighborhood is a little questionable

Darcy:  But totally worth it

Maria:  How good are we talking?

Darcy:  You only need two to forget who you are, and they taste like sunshine

Maria: …Done, but they better be that good.

\--

Spencer:  We’re here

Darcy:  Running a little late

Darcy:  Coulson’s stuck in a meeting

Darcy:  Should be leaving in 5

Spencer:  See you soon

\--

Darcy:  You’re meeting us out front, right?

Jane: Well I’m not going in without you

Darcy:  Cool.  We’re running a little late

Jane:  It’s fine.  I am too

\--

Penelope:  You’re coming, right?

Darcy:  Yes

Darcy:  Just a little late

Darcy:  Boss man was stuck in a meeting

Penelope:  Just checking

Penelope:  Spencer’s looking a bit nervous.

Penelope:  It’s adorable

Darcy:  I’m a bit nervous too

Darcy:  I want everyone to like me

Penelope:  Those of us that matter already do

\--

Emily:  What crawled up Hotch’s ass and died?

JJ: I think he’s jealous

Penelope:  OHHH.  Of what?  I need good gossip

Emily:  Like the gossip you told Reid when you went into your office?

Penelope:  Focus!  Hotch first

JJ:  How long has it been since Hotch went on a date?

JJ:  He’s basically married to his office

Emily:  So you think he’s jealous that Reid has more of a work/life balance than he does?

Penelope:  I could see it.

JJ:  It’s just a theory

Penelope:  What if Morgan got to him and he’s worried he’s going to have to tell Reid that Darcy sucks?

Emily:  But she doesn’t

Penelope:  But what if Hotch thinks she does?

JJ:  You’re right that it could be his ‘I’m judging you and find you lacking’ face

JJ:  But she just got here

Penelope:  But have either of you talked to him about her?

Emily:  I haven’t

JJ:  Me neither

Penelope:  Neither have I

Penelope:  I think only Morgan has

Emily:  Shit

\--

Morgan:  First impression?

Hotch:  She keeps some rarefied company.

Morgan: So what do you think?

Hotch:  Why are we texting?  They’re at the bar.

Morgan:  Do you want her boss to hear you talking about her?

Hotch:  Good point.

Hotch:  Let me observe a little more and get back to you.

Hotch:  Shield is definitely one of the more gray agencies.

\--

Clint:  What do you think of these people?

Phil:  I think Darcy needs all the help she can get in order to get these men to like her.

Clint:  The ladies all love her.

Phil:  I can tell.

Phil:  But she’ll consider it a failure if they don’t all like her.

Clint:  But they don’t have to all like her.

Phil:  That’s just Darcy.

Clint:  Fair.

\--

Clint:  See the brunette diagonal from me?

Natasha:  Yes

Clint:  I’m going to challenge her to a shooting contest.

Natasha:  Can you feel my glare?

Clint:  Sadly, yes.

\--

Rossi:  Calm down.  Everyone will like her.

Phil:  Am I that transparent?

Rossi:  Well you do keep glaring at Hotchner and Morgan

Phil:  It’s nearly impossible to dislike Darcy.

Phil:  Be exasperated by her, yes.  But not actually dislike.

Rossi:  They’ll get there.

Rossi:  It’s hard to trust new people for this group.

Phil:  I’m going to glare a little more.

\--

Morgan:  Your face is pretty sour.

Hotchner: I’m not really a bar person most of the time.

Morgan:  Well, if the look her boss is giving you means anything, I think he thinks you hate his secretary.

Hotchner:  I thought you didn’t like her.

Morgan:  I think I might have misjudged the situation.

Hotchner:  How so?

Morgan:  She has lived a fairly classified life.

Morgan:  What I saw as evasive might have been a civilian (more or less) trying to keep things quiet like she was ordered to.

Hotchner:  So you’ve changed your mind.

Morgan:  Not yet, but I’m definitely collecting more evidence that maybe I should

Morgan:  What about you?

Hotchner:  What about me?

Morgan:  Have an opinion yet?

Hotchner:  She seems more likely to be with someone like Clint than Reid.

Morgan:  Because?

Hotchner:  Clint’s better at making a woman feel pretty.

Hotchner:  Darcy seems desperate for us, or anyone really, to like her

Hotchner:  Clint could give her that

Hotchner:  Reid not so much

Morgan:  You think Reid can’t make a girl feel pretty?

Hotchner:  Not what I said and you know it.

Morgan:  I’m just saying, maybe I’m not the only one that needs to take a closer look at the evidence.

\--

Clint:  Want to get our nails done tomorrow?

Natasha:  Of course

Clint:  Can you make an appointment for 3?

Natasha:  Who are you bringing?

Clint:  The brunette

Natasha:  Good choice.

Natasha:  I’ll call in the morning

Natasha:  Find out what time’s good for her.

\--

Spencer:  Do you think Darcy would let me walk her home tonight?

Jane:  Why are you asking me instead of her?

Spencer:  I’m worried she’ll think I’m being ridiculous.

Jane:  Why would she think that?

Spencer:  Because I wanted to take things slowly?

Jane:  I think you should ask her.  Don’t second guess yourself so much.

Jane:  She likes you.

\--

Penelope:  Are you going to be a grump tomorrow?

Morgan:  Why would I be a grump?

Penelope:  Because you invited Darcy and Spencer to the movies.

Penelope:  And you don’t seem to like Darcy.

Penelope:  So if you’re potentially going to suck, I’d like to know beforehand.

Morgan:  No, I will not be a grump

Penelope:  So you stopped hating her?

Morgan:  I never hated her

Penelope:  But you were a jerk

Morgan:  I was

Penelope:  Glad you see it

Penelope:  Now don’t ruin this

Penelope:  Reid really likes her

Morgan:  I know

Morgan:  I just don’t want him to get hurt

Penelope:  Honey, you can’t stop people from getting hurt by others

Penelope:  What matters is how you respond after it happens.

\--

Phil:  I think Derek’s warming up

Clint:  He invited Darcy and Spencer to the movies tomorrow

Phil:  That should make Darcy happy

Clint:  What do you think of him?

Phil:  Spencer or Morgan?

Clint:  Spencer

Phil:  He seems perfectly nice.

Phil:  Very normal

Phil:  Rather interested in her.

Clint:  I wonder why she thought she was wrong about that

Phil:  Did you hear about Ian?

Clint:  No?  When did you talk about that?

Phil:  Right before you invited yourself along.

Clint:  I literally got there right when she invited you.

Phil:  Did you know they dated in London?

Clint:  Darcy and Boothby?

Phil:  Yes

Clint:  But wasn’t he…

Phil: Yes

Clint:  So what does that have to do with her worrying about Spencer?

Phil:  He basically restrained her and held her hostage after she dismissed him from Jane’s team and broke up with him.

Phil:  Clint…?

\--

Clint:  What do you know about Ian Boothby?

Natasha:  He’s a low level agent that was tasked with watching Foster and Lewis in London

Clint:  He dated her and then held her hostage when she broke up with him

Natasha:  I’m on it.

\--

Emily:  They’re so stinkin’ cute

JJ:  Right?

Emily:  I just need them to kiss already

Penelope:  They have once already

JJ:  Just once?

Penelope:  Yup

Emily:  omg

JJ:  Do you ever wonder if you were that cute when you first started dating someone?

Emily:  I know I wasn’t

Penelope:  Reid is a precious cinnamon roll

Penelope:  I don’t think anyone could be as cute in a relationship

Penelope:  It’s best not to compare yourself

Emily:  Truth

\--

Spencer:  Can I see you home tonight?

Darcy:  Obviously!

Darcy:  I would love that.

Darcy:  But why the text?

Spencer:  I didn’t want everyone to overhear

Darcy:  Excellent point

\--

Rossi:  She’s a sweet girl

Rossi:  Cheer up already

Hotchner:  I’m not unhappy

Rossi:  Then try smiling every now and then

\--

RESTRICTED1:  There are date plans for tomorrow

RESTRICTED2:  Get the details

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking Sunday off to work on my fic giveaway winner fics. I'll be back Monday with that goodnight kiss!


	17. Goodnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now KISS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested, here's an interview I did that was a ton of fun!
> 
> http://foreveryoungadult.com/2016/09/12/between-two-lockers-with-corrie/

“Goodnight!” Darcy and Spencer called to their friends outside the bar on last time as everyone filtered away.

“My place isn’t far,” Darcy said.  “Maybe a 15 minute walk.”

“Lead the way,” Spencer said gesturing with his left hand and taking her hand with his right, causing Darcy’s heart to flutter just a bit.  She moved a bit closer to him as they made their way down the street.

“I think tonight went well,” she said cautiously.  “I know Clint and Phil liked you.”

“How could you tell?” He asked.

“They wouldn’t have let you walk me home if they didn’t.  Phil would have come up with an excuse that he needed me or Clint would have tagged along.”

“I can’t believe you’re friends with an Avenger.”

“Two actually.  And if Clint would introduce us, I’d have number three.”  They paused at an intersection, waiting for the light to change.  “And sure, they have a cool job, but it’s kind of a heavy burden.  They’re really just normal people.”

“Is anything truly normal?”

“Feeling philosophical tonight?”

“Not really.  Just, look at my life, look at yours, look at Jane’s or Clint’s.  Our lives are our normal, and that’s different for everyone.”

“I think that maybe there’s something we can call a baseline of normal.  Things the majority of people have in common.”

“Like what?”

“Like how your stomach does a little flip at the beginning of a relationship when everything is new and exciting.”

“Does that happen to you?” Spencer asked.  He wasn’t looking at her, but she felt like he was staring.

“It did when you grabbed my hand tonight,” she said softly.

“Me too,” he said, finally looking at her.

She let him stare for a few moments before she took her eyes off him and looked down the street.  “My building is the next one.”

“Right,” he said, a little disappointed.

“Would you like to come in?” She asked.  “Maybe for some coffee?  Or a movie or something?”  She added quickly.

“Is this literal or metaphorical coffee?”

“Huh?”

“Are you actually inviting me up for coffee or are you hoping it will lead to something decidedly not coffee?”

“Just coffee,” Darcy said quickly.  “You wanted to go slow, and I want to respect that.  I also don’t want the night to end because I like spending time with you, so I invited.  Don’t feel like you have to, though.”

“Coffee would be nice, actually,” he said with a small smile.  “I’m not ready for the night to end either.”

Darcy blushed as she fumbled with her keys at the front door.  “I don’t have any fancy coffee, but I have all sorts of things we can mix into it, and at least a pound of sugar, so I think we’re good for at least two cups.”

Spencer laughed a soft, sweet laugh that Darcy let envelop her as they went to the elevator.

“Can I kiss you?” Spencer suddenly said when the elevator door shut.

“Are you sure?” Darcy asked.  “That’s not too fast?”

“I want to,” Spencer affirmed.

“Okay,” Darcy said, a little breathless.

Spencer leaned into her space, the warmth of his nearness making her head swim a bit.  He softly pressed his lips to her.  She let him set the pace, his mouth slowly opening, tongue cautiously moving.  They were interrupted by the ding of the elevator door opening.

Darcy flushed red.  “Um, so I’m down toward the end,” she said, taking his hand and leading him down the hall. They were both quiet during the short walk.  “This is me,” she said as she opened the door and waved into her apartment.  He stepped in and looked around while Darcy closed the door and locked it.  Spencer turned around and was in her space again, crowding her against the door a bit.

“Would you let me kiss you again?” He asked.

“Yes,” Darcy whispered as his mouth delicately pressed against hers once again.

He tasted of the beer he had been drinking earlier but smelled like spice and coffee.  Her hands tentatively rested on his chest, fingers stroking the soft knit of his cardigan.  His hands found her waist, and she felt the burn of his fingers as his hands slid just a tiny fraction up and down.  She was certain she would be able to still feel his hands later that night when she was alone in her bed.

His tongue tentatively explored her mouth, and her hands involuntarily fisted the fabric they had been caressing.  He slowly ended the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed.  She un-balled he fists and smoothed the wrinkled cardigan. 

“Was that okay?” she asked.

“Very much so,” he said, flexing his fingers and reminding her they were still on her hips.  How could she have forgotten their exquisite burn?

“We don’t have to do that again until you’re ready to,” she said, “but I really liked that.”

“I did too,” he said pulling himself away slowly.

“Coffee?” She asked, trying to keep the situation from turning awkward.

“That sounds nice,” he said, following her into the kitchen.

Darcy began making the coffee, using the motions to steady her trembling hands.  That had been one of the most chaste kisses she had had, but it had also been one of the best.  She suddenly understood how women could swoon after kissing a man.


	18. Let's Get Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double date night!

“Who wants pie?” Penelope asked as they walked out of the movie theater.  “I’m not ready for the night to be over.”

“I could do pie,” Spencer said, looking at Darcy as she took his hand and stepped closer to him.

“I love pie,” she said emphatically.  “There’s a place a few blocks from here that’s open late.”

“You mean Lulu’s?” Derek asked, his eyes darting to their hands.

“Yes!” Darcy said happily.  “They have the best late night pie.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Garcia said happily.  “Lead the way!”

Spencer tried to focus while the others talked about the movie they had just watched, but he couldn’t.  All he could think about was how Darcy had held his hand the entire movie, thumb softly stroking circles every now and then.  She was so close he could smell the lavender of her shampoo.  Smelling the lavender had reminded him of the night before when he had kissed her again on the couch after they had watched a few episodes of a TV show he couldn’t remember because he spent the whole time replaying the kiss at the door in his head.  He wasn’t ready to go any faster than the kissing they had done, but he wanted to do it more.  She had tasted like the Guinness she had been drinking and chocolate.

He had spent most of the TV watching analyzing his kissing and wondering if he had done it right, if he had been any good, if she wanted to do it again.  He had turned to ask her something simple (though he couldn’t remember what), and had seen the way she had bit her bottom lip, pupils dilated.  He had leaned into her again and…

“Reid!” Morgan said sharply.

“Huh?  What?”  He said, dazed.

“I told you he wasn’t paying attention,” Garcia laughed.

“Where you at, man?” Morgan asked.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly.  “I was woolgathering.”  Darcy squeezed his hand and he didn’t feel so bad.  “What was the question?”

“Did you like the ending?” Garcia laughed as she opened the door to the diner.

“It was fine,” Spencer said.  “Appropriately predictable for a children’s movie.”

“Only you would think that was a predictable ending,” Morgan said with a shake of his head as they slid into a booth.

Before he could start discussing how the movie was actually formulaic, Garcia jumped in.  “So, Darcy, do you normally have the weekend off?”

“Yes and no,” she said.  “When I worked for the Congressman, running social media was a non-stop job, but I didn’t have to go into the office.  Now that I’m will Coulson, I work when he does, which doesn’t always mean a weekend off.  I haven’t been with him that long yet, so I’ve had weekends off so far.”

“How did you move from working with the Congressman to being with Shield?” Morgan asked. 

“Coulson and I go way back,” Darcy said.  “I met him when I started interning with Jane and we first met Thor, which I guess I can tell you since Clint told you Jane and Thor are dating.”  She paused while they all ordered some pie.  “Anyway, he liked the way I organized things and how I was eventually able to order around the guys they left behind to watch us, and he offered me a job.  But I said no because I wanted to stay with Jane.  A few years later, things went a little bit nuts in London, but I guess he still liked me because he turned that one time offer into a standing offer.  When things weren’t working for me at the office anymore, I took him up on it,” she said with a shrug.

“Just like that?” Morgan asked.

“He didn’t have an assistant when I quit, so it was pretty easy to just start.”

Spencer watched Morgan carefully throughout the entire exchange, trying to read his face and see why he was asking these things and what he was thinking about her response.

“Sounds like you’re good at what you do,” was all he said.  “I’m glad Reid found someone that can understand crazy schedules.  The BAU doesn’t exactly keep regular hours.”

Spencer was certain he felt the shock register on his face.  He hadn’t been certain that Derek had changed his mind about Darcy, but there he was, basically giving his blessing.  He looked over at Darcy to see she was bright red.  He squeezed her hand under the table.

“I’m glad he understands that my work is crazy too,” she finally stammered out as their pie was delivered.

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they dug into their pie.

“You were not kidding,” Garcia said, “this is some excellent late night pie.”

“Right?” Darcy said with a smile.  “It’s super good.”

“So what are you two doing after this?” Morgan asked.

Spencer was certain that Derek could read his thoughts and knew exactly what Spencer wanted to be happening after this.

“It’s getting a little late,” Darcy said, sparing him from trying to come up with an answer.  “So I’m not sure we’ll be doing anything.  What about you two?”

“I’m just going to do some reading,” Garcia said with a strange twist to her lips that made him think she was laughing to herself about just what she would be reading.  “I just got an email telling me one of my favorite authors has something new.”

Darcy gave Garcia a shrewd look.  “An email?” She asked, quirking up her eyebrow.

“Yes,” Garcia said sipping her water.  Spencer felt like he had missed something, but neither of them said another word about it.

“I’m probably just going to bed,” Morgan said after giving the women a strange look.  “I’m working on one of my properties tomorrow and I want to get an early start.”

“Then it might be time to get going,” Darcy said as she reached for her wallet.

“I can get it,” Spencer said, placing his hand on hers.

“Okay, but I get it next time,” she said.

They each slid out of the booth and paid, gathering just outside the diner.  “Well I guess this is good night,” Garcia said.  “See you two Monday,” she said nodding at him and Derek.  “You call me for another margarita night.”

“Oh!  I’m bringing a new friend!  I’ll text you.”

“Sounds good!” Garcia said as she hugged Derek and Darcy and smiled at him.  Derek walked with them to the corner of the block but then said his goodbyes as well, going straight where they turned.

“Can I walk you home?” Darcy asked with a laugh in her words.

“Of course,” Spencer said with a smile as he felt a small prick in his neck.

“Spencer?” Darcy asked, going wildly out of focus.  “There’s a…..in…neck…” she said as he blacked out.


	19. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy wakes up with a headache.

She came to in a well-appointed bedroom.  It was small, but the furnishings were excellent.  The bed was sturdy, polished hard wood, four posters elegantly turned in some historical style.  Heavy velvet curtains were open while a sheet curtain diffused the light that was pouring in through the windows. She was lying on a bed with soft sheets and her head was killing her.  She sat up slowly and saw a glass of water and two white pills on the side table that matched the bed.

“You should take those,” a voice said from across the room in a dark corner she hadn’t paid attention to when she woke up.  “I’m sure your head hurts,” the voice added.

She whipped he head around to the source of the voice which was a mistake.  Her head was swimming and it took a moment for her eyes to focus. “Ian?” She said when she finally could see, though she didn’t want to believe what her eyes showed her.

“I’m sorry about your head,” he said.  “There wasn’t really a way to do this without you ending up with a little drug hangover.”  He had been sitting in a chair in the corner, she realized when he stood up and began heading her way.  Darcy felt her stomach roll at his words.  As she clutched her stomach, she realized she wasn’t wearing her clothes, but, instead, a deep blue silk slip.

He must have noticed her reaction because he said, “Your clothes were dirty after everything.  I had to get you out of them before you went to bed.”

“What did you do?” She asked, pulling back a little as he got closer.

“Take the pills, they will help,” he said instead.  She looked wearily at the pills.  “I wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble to kill you with pills,” he said in a huff.  “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

“Why did you do this, Ian?” She tried again.

“Because I love you,” he said.  “I love you, and you didn’t realize you loved me too.”

“I didn’t realize?” She asked with a stuttering breath.

“We’re meant to be together darling,” he said, coming closer to her.  “I can give you so much more than anyone else ever could.”  He picked up the untouched pills and handed them to her.  She took them from him, eyes never leaving him.  He raised an eyebrow at her and nodded to her hand.  She put the pills in her mouth and he handed her the water.  She dutifully swallowed the pills and drank the water as he leaned to the center of the bed where she was and brushed her hair behind her ear.  She tried not to shudder at his touch.  “I only want what’s best for you, what’s best for us,” he whispered in her ear.  He pulled back and added, “You’ll see.”

“How will I see?” She asked before she could think better of it.

“All of this is for you,” he said motioning around the room.  “I moved to America for you.  I realized you had broken up with me as an act of protection.  Protection of my heart.  You didn’t want to ask me to follow you, to do the impossible, in your eyes.  But I did, because you mean that much to me, and I couldn’t let you make the sacrifice you thought you had to.”  He sat next to her on the bed, his hip fast against hers.  “I came as soon as you left, and wrote you to tell you all about it.  Why didn’t you write me back, Dee?”

“I never got them,” she said, deciding that playing into his delusion was her best chance for escape.  So far she wasn’t restrained in any way.

“I thought outside forces might have been conspiring against us,” he said.  “That’s why I had you followed.”

Darcy tried not to react to his words.  “You did?” She asked, praying he inflection made her sound flattered instead of disgusted.

“I did,” he said with a smile.  “You’re very special, Darcy, and I couldn’t have anyone else getting to you.”

Memories of Spencer collapsed on the ground came back in hazy pieces.  “So what did you learn?” She forced herself to ask.

“I was happy when you left the political office,” he said as he placed a hand on her thigh.  “That place was no good for you.  The way those men looked at you was disgusting and inappropriate.  But I could forgive them some.  They didn’t know you were mine, so they didn’t know that they couldn’t have you.”  His hand started rubbing up and down her thigh the same way it used to when they had sat on the couch before he wanted something physical from her.  “But being at Shield was so much better,” he continued.  “I knew so many people there that could keep an eye on you and let me know just what was going on.”

Darcy felt her mind race as she wondered who she had come in contact with that had been spying on her for Ian.  Which person with a random question was his spy?  Who had she walked by in the halls that had reported it back to him?

“I know you didn’t know, but Shield sent me to you to begin with.  To keep an eye on you and Dr. Foster because they knew you were special.  It was fate.” Darcy’s head felt heavy as Ian’s hand moved from her thigh to her shoulder.  “I’ve created a beautiful life for us, Darcy.  I can’t wait to show it to you.  I know you so well that I’m certain I made everything exactly like you would want it.”

She was having trouble following his words. “I don’t feel…” Darcy started to say as her body swayed a bit even though she was sitting.

“I know darling,” he said.  “I said I wouldn’t kill you with pills.  I would never hurt you.  But I need you to sleep while I do some work, so I put a sleeping agent in the water.  I promise you’ll wake up feeling much better.  See how I’m already taking care of you?”

Darcy’s limbs felt too heavy to move, and her mouth too filled with cotton to protest when Ian laid her down and covered her with a blanket, kissing her forehead as he turned to leave.

“When I get back in a few hours, you’ll be as good as new,” he promised.  “And we can start our life together.”

As Darcy succumbed to the blackness that was enveloping her, she wondered what had happened to Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have through chapter 23 done, so I promise not to leave you hanging during this section.


	20. Where'd You Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Monday morning.

“Has anyone seen Reid?” Hotchner asked Monday morning.  “You did call him, right?” He asked JJ.

“He didn’t answer,” she replied with a frown.

“I haven’t talked to him since Saturday night,” Morgan said. 

“Did anyone try Darcy?” Prentiss asked.

“Good idea,” Rossi said as he entered the room and shot Hotchner a look for the scowl that was on his face.  “Anyone have her number?”

“Penelope does,” JJ said.

“I do what?” Garcia asked as she entered the briefing room with her laptop.

“Have Darcy’s number,” JJ explained.  “No one can get ahold of Spencer.”

“Oh,” Garcia said.  “Umm, yeah.  Sure.”  She pulled out he phone and pulled up Darcy’s info, placing the call on speaker.

“I’m sorry, but this number is no longer in service,” a robotic voice said.  “If you think you have reached this recording in error, please hang up and dial again.”  Penelope looked around the room.

“It worked Saturday when I set up the movie time,” she half whispered.  No one said anything until Rossi’s phone ringing broke the silence.  He looked at the ID and answered.

“Coulson,” he said, “I’m putting you on speaker.”

“Why are you putting me on speaker?” Coulson asked.  “I just need Dr. Reid’s number from you.”

“You’re on speaker because we can’t find Spencer either,” Rossi said.

“And Darcy’s number says it’s no longer in service,” Penelope added.

“When was the last time one of you spoke to either of them?”

“That would be Saturday night, sir,” Morgan said.  “Garcia and I went to the movies with them and then to a diner.”

“What time did you last see them?”

“Around 10:48,” Penelope said.  “That’s the time the bus I took arrived at the stop a block from the diner.  I just barely made it.”

“Has anyone talked to them since 10:48 Saturday night?”

They all looked at each other, shaking their heads no.

“Appears not,” Rossi finally said.

“They have been missing for over 35 hours at this point,” Coulson said.  “I’m coming over with some of my team.  We have work to do.”

The line went dead, and Rossi picked up his phone, putting it back in his pocket.

“So what should we do about New Mexico?” JJ asked, gesturing at the files she hadn’t handed out yet.

“Pass it off to another team.  Two federal employees are now missing.  Lewis might just be a secretary, but she’s high ranking with lots of classified intel.  This has to take precedent,” Hotchner said.

“Absolutely sir,” JJ said, picking up the information packets.  “I’ll take care of that and be back.”

“Morgan, you and Prentiss go to Reid’s place and see what you can find there.  Dave and I will prepare our strategy while we await Coulson and his team.  Garcia, I need you to start tracking their financials.  See if you can find credit card usage, ticket purchases, anything since they’ve gone missing.”

“I’ve got to ask,” Morgan said before anyone could move, “but do you think they maybe just took a long weekend together, and we’re overreacting?”

“Phones don’t disconnect when you have a weekend getaway together,” Garcia said.  “You turn them off.  You don’t end your service.”

“That’s not really Reid’s style anyway,” Prentiss said.  “He wouldn’t move that quickly with her.  As of Friday, they had only kissed once.  He wouldn’t move from one kiss to skipping work to be together.  That’s too big a jump.”

“Emily’s right,” JJ added sternly,

“Hey, I didn’t say it was true,” Morgan defended, “I just thought we should look at other options.”

“I agree that it’s unlikely,” Rossi said, “but you weren’t wrong that we needed to check our options.  However, I think it’s time to get to work.  One of our team members is missing and we need to find him and his girlfriend.”

Everyone nodded their agreement and got up from the table, going their separate ways.

“I’m scared,” Penelope whispered as she left the room with Derek and Prentiss.

“It’ll be okay Babygirl,” Morgan said as he wrapped an arm over her shoulder.  “We’re going to find them and they’re going to be okay.”

“We’re the best at what we do,” Emily added.  “We’re going to find them.”

“Reid can handle himself,” Derek said as they stopped at Penelope’s office door.  “He has so far.  We have to keep the faith that he can handle this too.”

“And Darcy’s very scrappy,” Prentiss said.  “Clint told me she took out Thor with a taser when she first met him.  If she can take out a literal god, I’m certain she can take care of herself wherever she is right now.”

“Right,” Garcia said, squaring her shoulders.  “We’ve got work to do.”

An hour later, Coulson arrived with his team, but the BAU had very little to offer them information wise.

“Their credit cards haven’t been used since Saturday night.  I was able to follow them on the city cameras until they hit a dead spot.  We never see them leave it.”

“Reid’s apartment looked like it always does.  There didn’t appear to be any sort of altercation, and the jacket he was wearing Saturday is missing.”

“Darcy’s apartment looked untouched as well,” Natasha said.

“I want a call to every hospital in a 30 mile radius looking for John and Jane Does,” Coulson said.  “We look at every one that comes up.  Natasha, Clint, I want you to figure out what’s going on with Boothby.”

“Who’s Boothby?” Hotchner asked.

“Darcy’s ex,” Coulson said with spite in his voice.  “He was undercover in London.  Darcy told me on Friday that they had dated, which was strictly against his assignment details, and he responded poorly when she broke up with him.”

“What do you mean by poorly?” Rossi asked.

“Took her phone and tied her to a chair.  She was found quickly because she had set up a system with Dr. Foster.”

“Has anyone made contact with Foster?”  Emily asked.

“We have agents on their way to her.  She’s en route to a remote part of Maine.  They will meet her when her plane lands.”

“I need everyone on the phone checking hospitals.  Garcia, I want you to trace the license plates of every car in a three block radius of that diner for the two hours before and five hours after they went missing.  Does everyone understand?” Hotchner asked.

Everyone nodded.  “Let’s find them,” he said grimly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still a fluff writer guys, so this drama and angst can't last too long.


	21. Be Heard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer. That's all you need to know.

Spencer was floating, or, at least, that’s what it felt like.  He felt like the softest cotton was encasing him and making any motions slower and less sharp.  He couldn’t see much of anything, but his throat felt raw and dry.  He tried to lift his hand to touch it, but it wasn’t responding.  The soft light slowly faded and he felt himself being engulfed in darkness again.

The next time he woke up, he felt a dull ache in his head.  His throat was still uncomfortable, but he could move better than previously.  However, moving sent pinpricks of pain up and down his arms that quickly became searing pain the more he tried to move.  He gave up the effort and let the darkness take him again.

The third time he awoke he was actually awake and not a drug imagined awake.  He could feel the pain being dulled by medication, but it wasn’t enough to stop everything from hurting.  With great effort, his fingers found the call button and he pressed it.

A nurse came bustling into the room.  “Ahh, I see you’re finally awake,” she said.  “Don’t try to talk,” she added quickly.  “You have in a breathing tube.  I’m going to page the doctor, and then maybe we can figure out just who you are.”

Figure out who he was?  The hospital didn’t know who he was?  Spencer could feel himself freaking out as he tried to recall what had caused him to end up here and why no one would know who he was.  Where was here?  Was he even still in DC?  He knew his heart rate was spiking as the anxiety took over.

“What’s going on in here?” The nurse asked as she bustled back in and started looking over his vitals.  “It’s okay,” she soothed.  “I know having the tube is freaky, but now that you’re awake, maybe we can consider taking it out.”

She didn’t understand.  Spencer wildly flapped his hand in a writing motion, hoping she would understand what he wanted.

“You want to write?” She asked, unsure.  Spencer pointed his finger at her trying to convey that yes, that’s what he wanted.  “Maybe you can tell me your name,” she said as she handed him a pad and pen with the hospital logo, which he ignored as he scribbled his message and trust the pad back to her.

“Call FBI?” She read aloud.  “Why?”

Why?  Who the hell cared why? He wanted to shout and rail at her, but he couldn’t.  He tapped the pad impatiently.

“Maybe we’ll see what the doctor has to say,” she said with a frown.  “There might be some head trauma.”

He tried to scowl at her as she slipped out of the room again, but it had no effect.

Spencer wasn’t sure how long it was before the doctor came, but he had started to drift off, unable and somewhat unwilling to hold off the effects of the drugs.

“It’s good to see you awake,” the man said without much emotion.  “For a while, we weren’t sure if you were going to.”  He started doing a physical examination, treating Spencer like an object more than a person.  “The nurse had some concern about your head,” the doctor said.  “So let’s do some yes or no questions.  Raise your right hand for ‘yes’ and you left for ‘no.’  Do you understand?”  Spencer wanted to roll his eyes at the condescension, but dutifully raised his right hand.

“Good.  Now, do you know where you are?”

A hospital, but not the town.  He raised both hands.

“That’s not a clear answer,” the doctor said.  “Yes or no?”

Again, Spencer raised both.  The doctor didn’t seem to care for this answer.

“Fine,” he said annoyed, “Do you know what day it is?”

Left hand.

“Do you know where you are?” The doctor tried again.

Both hands.

“Do you know you name?” The doctor more snapped than asked.

Right hand.

“Can you write it for me?”

Right hand.

The doctor handed him paper and pen.

_Call FBI_ he wrote again.

“Call the FBI?” The doctor asked, puzzled.

Right hand.

“Why?”

That wasn’t a question that could be answered with a yes or no.  Spencer just pointed to the pad.

“Why would I call the FBI for a drug addict?” The doctor asked.

Drug addict?  Why had he said that?  Spencer pointed to the tube in his mouth, hoping this would be understood.  The doctor stared at him for a moment before he seemed to catch on.

“Ahh, yes.  I believe that can be removed tomorrow, but needs to stay in a bit longer while I determine whether or not you’re completely stable.”  Spencer slumped into his pillows, defeated.  “You look to be doing much better, but I want to see if it lasts.”  The doctor scribbled something on a notepad and then put it back in his pocket.  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, exiting.

Spencer felt tired and defeated.  The encounter with the doctor had been exhausting and the drugs were calling him to sleep again.  Realizing there wasn’t much he could do at the moment, he let himself drift.

He was dreaming of Darcy.  She was shaking him and crying, and he didn’t know why.  She looked so scared.  He jerked awake to a sound at his door.  He was sweating.  The dream had seemed so real.

“I’m just here to draw some blood,” an older man said as he wandered into the dim room.  “You can get right back to sleep when I’m done.”  Spencer watched as the man expertly took the blood.  “I’m glad to see you awake this time,” the man said with a gentle smile.  “Get better, ya hear?”  He was the first person Spencer had encountered since waking up that seemed to actually care.

Spencer turned his head when the man left, trying to get more comfortable on the bed so he could sleep again, and that’s when he saw it.  The phone.  He grabbed it and dialed from memory, but the number was apparently long distance from where he was.  He tried again, attempting various codes that might get him to an outside line, finding success on his second attempt.

The phone rang and rang until finally someone picked up.

“Hello?” Garcia asked groggily.

He pressed out SOS with the buttons.

“Reid?” She whispered, sounding more alert.

He pressed a key once.

“Is that one for yes two for no?”

He pressed one key again.

“Can you talk?”

Two presses.

“Can you leave the line open?”

One.

“I’m going to trace this.  We’re coming for you,” she said.

Spencer felt a sense of relief.  He couldn’t ask any of the things he wanted to know such as what day it was or where Darcy was, but, hopefully, he would be able to soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tonight I'll be posting the first of my giveaway fics. It's a soulmate Darcy/Clint story for weaverofhopes!


	22. Call to Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope traces the call and alerts the team.

Penelope had been frantic once she was awake enough to realize what was happening.  She immediately started tracing the line Spencer was calling from, putting her other phone on speaker while she typed.

“Babygirl, it’s 3 in the morning,” Morgan groaned.

“I know where Spencer is,” she said as the trace narrowed down his location.

“What?” Morgan said, suddenly awake.

“He called and I’m tracing it.”  The trace was almost complete.  “Tell everyone to get to my apartment.  The line is still open.”  Morgan swore briefly before hanging up.  “Son of a bitch,” Penelope said as the trace finished.  She picked up her cell phone.  “Spencer?” she asked. 

One beep. 

“Are you in a hospital?”

One beep. 

“Are you hurt?” She asked, holding her breath.

One beep.

“Badly?”

Two beeps.  And then one beep.

“You don’t know?”

One beep.

“I know where you are.  We’re going to come get you,” she told him to soothe both him and herself.  “Can I open your medical records?  I want to see if we can move you, but it’s your choice.”

One beep.

She wondered if she should ask him if Darcy was there, but decided against it. She didn’t want to upset him.  It was Tuesday.  They had been missing since Saturday night, and this was the first time he had been able to contact them.  That wasn’t great news if he was in the hospital.

“Everyone is on their way here,” she said.  “Once I tell them where to go and what we can do for you, we’re coming for you.”

One beep

“You’re welcome.”

Ten minutes later, Garcia had found the John Doe records for Reid and the team, making record time, was there.  The line was still open, but Reid had fallen back asleep.

“Tell us everything you know,” Hotchner commanded Garcia.

“He’s in a hospital-“

“But we checked hospitals,” Morgan cut her off.

“-a hospital almost 100 miles away,” Garcia finished.  “And not a good one.  It’s understaffed and been cited several times for violating regulations.  It’s on the brink of being shut down.  Because of that, it seems like the only people that end up there are those without a choice-drug addicts, gun shots, and the like.”

“And Reid?” Prentiss asked.

“Found on a sidewalk by a man walking his dog.  There was no ID on him and he was covered in nasty bruises.  He stopped breathing and was put on a breathing tube which is why he couldn’t talk.  Blood tests showed excessive amounts of controlled substances in his system.  The doctor’s notes assume he’s another junkie that OD’d.”

“But he wouldn’t have any track marks….” Rossi said, thinking aloud

“Covered in bruises,” Penelope shrugged.  “Look, I don’t know, but he’s awake and stable enough to be moved, and that’s totally what we should do because Reid in that place makes me seriously upset.”

“We’ll turn the records over to the appropriate authorities.  Maybe the mistreatment of a federal agent will be enough to finally close the place,” Rossi said with steel in his voice, betraying how upset the situation made him.

“We need to head there now,” Hotchner said.  “Garcia, you and JJ stay here and relay new information to us.  Get in touch with Coulson and let him know we found him.”

“There were no Jane Does at the hospital,” Garcia said.

“But finding Spencer is a step to finding Darcy,” Rossi said.  “We’ll get her back too.”

“We need to consider that Darcy may have done this to him,” Hotch said.

“I don’t think so,” Morgan said.  “There’s no motive.”

“Not that we see, but she’s missing too, and we need to consider every option.”

“I don’t think that is an option,” Prentiss said slowly.

“I agree it’s unlikely, but we can’t let our personal feelings blind us here.”

“Can we focus on getting Reid back to us?  We know where he is and he might have answers for us.”

“Garcia’s right.  We should get going,” Rossi said.

Aaron looked serious.  “Call us if you learn anything new,” he said before turning and leading the rest of the team out the door.

After everyone had left, JJ turned to Garcia.  “I’m going to make some coffee.  Do you want to call Coulson or should I?”

“I’ll do it,” Penelope said.  “I can send him whatever he wants while we talk.”

JJ nodded and headed into the kitchen.

Garcia took a deep breath and placed the call.  This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

“Coulson.”

“Hello, sir.  Sorry to wake you.  It’s Penelope Garcia.  We’ve found Dr. Reid.”

“Darcy?”

“No, sir.  There were no Jane Does in the hospital where we found Dr. Reid.”

“We checked hospitals.  How did you find him?”

“He called.  He couldn’t speak, but he called from the hospital and left the line open so I could trace the call.”

“How far away?” Coulson asked, wearily.

“97 miles,” Garcia said softly.  “Well outside our search range.”

“Details?”

“I’ll send you the full file.  Basically he was found on the street with no ID by a man walking his dog.  His condition was critical.  He stopped breathing.  Blood tests confirmed large amounts of controlled substances.  He was beat up pretty badly and has been in a medical coma for the past several days.  The hospital is….not good.  It’s underfunded and deals mostly with overdoses and addiction fueled maladies.”

Coulson let out a long breath.  “I’m glad he’s alive.”

“Me too sir.”

“Team?”

“En route to him right now.”

“Send me everything you have and let me know his status once he’s transferred.”

“Of course sir.”

“I’ll have my team keep following our basically nonexistent leads on Darcy.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.  We’ll find her.”

Coulson hung up and Penelope turned back to her screen to send all the files over to him.

“How’d it go?” JJ asked.

“It’s awful telling someone you have no idea where their loved one is.  I don’t know how you guys do it.”

“Was he mad?”

“No.  It seemed like he knew Darcy wouldn’t be with Spencer.”

“It’s definitely looking like someone needed Spencer out of the way to get Darcy.”

“The ex.”

“The ex,” JJ agreed.

“Maybe that means Darcy’s in better condition than Reid.”

“I hope so,” JJ said as she set down the coffee mug at Garcia’s elbow as they prepared to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent a little time at the coffee shop today, but didn't get a whole lot done. I have a grad school personal statement to draft as well as the next Totally Lit Party. I'm taking Sunday off so I can do some more writing, but I'll be back Monday when we check back in with Darcy!


	23. Into the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy executes her plan.

Darcy was running as fast as she could, hoping she had made the right choice.  She had headed north as best she could, using the stars to navigate just like she had in the desert.  However, the woods occasionally blocked her view of the sky, so she wasn’t sure that she had stayed on track.  She had been running for what felt like hours, and the moon had steadily moved across the sky.  She should find a place to sleep soon and hope that Ian wasn’t great at tracking.  She slowed down and rethought her plan.  She probably should keep going, and not sleep until she knew it was after noon.  That way she wouldn’t have difficulty with determining how best to use the sun to plot her course.  One thing was certain though, she couldn’t keep running.  She would pass out from exhaustion before the sun hit noon if she tried.

Once her heartbeat slowed, she could hear every noise in the forest.  She knew that the sounds she heard were simply nocturnal animals, but every rustle of leaves made her imagine Ian slowly closing the gap between them.  She knew it had taken her several days to procure everything she needed for her escape plan, but she wasn’t certain how much total time had passed.  Ian still periodically drugged her, so the passage of time was difficult to decipher, but that had also worked in her favor.  He had stuck to a routine, so she knew when to expect the drugged water.  He thought he was being clever, but he really wasn’t.  The drugged water always came with food that was too salty.  She assumed he did that to encourage her to drink the entire glass.  When she realized the pattern, she had found a way to slowly dump out the water but make him believe she had drunk it.  Then she simply pretended to be drugged and waited to hear him leave.

And Ian, the idiot, didn’t seem to have any sort of surveillance on the place, nor did he leave any guards.  But she still didn’t know where she was or how long he would be gone, so she had to plan.  She found the drugs he had been using in a container on top of the refrigerator.  Each was in a tiny, sealed vial.  She opened all of them so he would think that’s how they were, and then she had emptied them into a shot glass she had found and refilled all of the vials with water.  She hid the shot glass under a loose floorboard in her closet.  (Thank you Lane Kim and _Gilmore Girls_ for that idea.)  Then she had learned as much as she could about the surrounding area. 

Which turned out to not be a whole lot.  It was wooded and so dark at night she could see a whole bevy of stars.  She was clearly pretty far from any light pollution, so that also meant no big cities.  There was also no actual road to the house, not even a gravel driveway.  There had to be a car somewhere, but it looked like Ian either walked to a barn elsewhere, or he rode a bike that was well hidden.  She wondered if this house was even on a map.

It had taken her three pretend druggings before she felt prepared for her escape.  She had played along as a dutiful, happy girlfriend, and then she begged Ian to let her cook a meal for him so she could show him just how much all of this meant to her.  She put together a shopping list, and he promised to return with the ingredients.  He even left her awake this time when he left, clearly feeling like he had won her over.  She had taken the shot glass to the kitchen and hidden it in a drawer.  She planned to ask him to get something out of the oven for her and dump the drugs into his already filled wine glass.

“A toast,” she proposed as they sat down, “to you and me.”

“To us,” he said, raising his glass.  They both sipped their wine.

“Do you taste an undercurrent of cinnamon?” Darcy asked.  “There’s some sort of spice to this, and I think it’s cinnamon, but I’m not sure.”

Ian took another sip of wine, swirling it around his mouth.  “No,” he said, “no cinnamon.”

Darcy took another small sip.  “Nutmeg?”

He drank again and shook his head.  “Nope.”

“Are you sure you don’t taste something spicy?”

“I don’t’ think so darling.”

“Huh,” she said. “My taste has been a little bit off lately.  Sometimes things taste so salty even though I know they shouldn’t.”  She paused and looked at him.  “I know you probably think I’m crazy, but can you please taste again?  I swear I taste a spice.”  He indulged her with another small sip.  “No wonder you can’t taste it,” she said before he could give a response.  “Such a small sip!  We have an entire bottle.  No need to be dainty.”  She watched him take a larger sip.  The glass was now half empty.

“Still nothing,” he shrugged.

Darcy frowned at her dinner.  “Huh.  I really tasted something.  Oh!  Maybe it was clove honey!  Did you taste that?”

His brow furrowed, but he took another taste.

“Dar?” He slurred a bit.  “I’m not….”

“Are you okay?” She asked, coming to his side.  “You’re burning up!” she added as she felt his forehead. “Have another drink.  Maybe that will help you cool down,” she said as she lifted the wine glass to his lips and tipped it back.  He swallowed some down, but the rest spilled down the sides of his face.  He body grew slack and he started to fall out of the chair. 

“Ian?” she asked several times, shaking him for good measure.  When he didn’t respond, Darcy quickly bound his hands and feet with duct tape and then tied them up with some torn bed sheet for good measure.  She ran upstairs and grabbed the bag she had made out of a pillowcase and filled it with supplies, both food and tools.  She patted Ian down, but there was nothing useful.  No keys; no phone.  She didn’t want to waste any more time at the house, so she fled into the night, praying to Asgard to keep her safe.

And so far, she was.  She wasn’t sure how long Ian would be out for, but she hoped she had put enough space between them.  Now was the real survival test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking at chapter 30 being the end of this story. I've got 27 done and am hopeful I will finish the rest tomorrow. If I do, you'll be getting double chapters until the end!


	24. Target Acquired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team closes in.

Spencer listened to the coms as Coulson’s team took the house.  He wished he could have been there with them, but Shield had been adamant that just they take down Ian since he and Darcy were their own.  Spencer probably shouldn’t have gone even if the BAU had been invited.  His body was still sore and tired from what Ian and his friend had done, but he couldn’t help worrying that Darcy had been through worse, and he wanted to be there for her when they found her.

“Boothby located,” Natasha’s crisp voice came over the line.  He heard a thudding that he realized was Natasha kicking the man when she said, “He’s tied up and unconscious.”

Clint let out a small whoop.  “That’s my girl!”

“Basement clear,” Steve Rogers said. 

Spencer had been surprised when the Avenges had all stepped up to help, but Coulson had simply waved a hand at his question and said, “Darcy is basically family to Clint and Thor.  There’s no way they weren’t going to help.”

Thor had returned to Asgard to seek help locating Darcy, but he hadn’t returned yet.  Natasha had tracked down this house in the middle of nowhere, which seemed to be where Ian had held Darcy.

“Upstairs clear,” Tony Stark said.

“You’re telling me D isn’t here?” Clint asked, his worry seeping into his words, echoing how Spencer felt at the declaration.

“You knew it was a possibility once we found Ian,” Natasha said.  “She took your training to heart.  Clearly she ran.”

“But where?” Clint asked.  “We’re surrounded by woods.”

“North,” Jane said next to Spencer.

“Huh?”

“She would head north,” Jane explained to him.  “I taught her how to navigate by the stars when we were in New Mexico.  She doesn’t know where she is, but she would want to keep putting distance between herself and Ian.  She’d go north and hope for the best.”

“Are you sure about that?” Hotchner said beside him.

“95%,” she affirmed.

Hotch switched on his com, “Foster thinks Darcy would have headed north, navigating by the stars.”

“I’ll bring back Boothby,” Rogers said.  “You guys head north.”

“Let me take him,” Natasha all but purred.  “You’ll be more help searching.”

“Nat are you going to-“

“Not on the coms,” Coulson ordered, cutting Clint off.  “Natasha and I will head back with Boothby.  Barton, Rogers, Stark, head north and see what you can find.”

“It’s going to be a difficult search,” Tony said.  “It’s just miles and miles of woods.”

“We’ll find her,” Steve declared.  “You have heat sensors on that metal suit of yours?”

“Of course,” Stark said, almost offended.

“Then use them,” Rogers commanded.  “There can’t be too many people out here.”

“We'll take the helicopter,” Barton said.  “If she used my training, she’ll have a signal mirror.  The copter with make enough noise for her to know we’re coming, and she’ll use the mirror to get our attention.”

“Everyone clear on their orders?” Coulson asked.

“Yes, sir,” Barton and Rogers said.

“Got it,” Stark said as the sound of him taking off filled the com line momentarily.

“Boothby is secured in the vehicle,” Natasha reported.  “Are you ready sir?”

“Everyone reports anything and everything,” Coulson ordered.  “Let’s go.”

The com lines went quiet and the BAU looked at each other.

“So Romanoff is totally going to beat the tar out of the ex, isn’t she?” Garcia asked.

“She’ll do it with purpose and not until he wakes up,” Jane answered.  When everyone stared at her a bit, she added, “She interrogated me over everything I knew about Ian once I was back in DC, and she seemed excited at the prospect of getting her hands on him.  Clint is wrecked over Darcy’s disappearance, and Natasha would do anything to make him feel better.  So yeah, she’s going to torture him for information, but that can’t start until he’s awake because she’ll want him to feel every part of it.”

“Did Clint and Darcy….?” JJ started to ask, voicing Spencer’s own question.

Jane laughed.  “No. Never.  They’re kind of like Derek and Penelope, well, given what I’ve seen I mean.”

“Flirt shamelessly and it means nothing?”

“Pretty much,” Jane said.  “Clint isn’t exactly Darcy’s type,” she added with a sly look at Spencer.  He felt himself blush at her statement.

“It will take Coulson and Romanoff approximately three hours to get back,” Rossi said.  “We should probably get back to work.”

Spencer understood that the BAU was essentially done with this investigation.  He had been found, and now so had Boothby.  It was now a matter of tracking Darcy.  But just because he understood it didn’t mean he liked it.  He was on mandatory medical leave now that he was out of the hospital, but it was implicitly understood that he was going to stay on leave until Darcy returned. 

Unfortunately, that meant he didn’t have any work to do.  Nothing to keep his mind occupied while they waited.

“Let’s go,” Jane said, tapping him on the wrist.  “I need some coffee.”

“Oh, uhmm, sure,” Spencer said, standing with her as he realized that everyone else had wandered out of the briefing room. 

“We haven’t had much of a chance to get to know each other,” Jane said as they walked out of the BAU.

“No, we haven’t,” Spencer agreed.  “Things have been….”

“Yeah,” Jane said.  They were quiet while she guided him away from the floor coffee pot and out of the BAU.  “You know, Stark is helping because of Clint, but also because of Pepper," she finally said.

“Pepper?” Spencer asked as they stepped into the elevator.

“Pepper Potts,” Jane said.  “Did Darcy tell you Pepper offered her a job?”  He shook his head no.  “Well she did.  Darcy helped me check the contract Pepper had offered me, and Pepper loved her.  Offered her a job with SI.  When I told her setting my move date had to be put on hold because Darcy was missing, she insisted Tony help find her.”

“Everyone seems to love her,” Spencer said as they walked out of the lobby and into the bright light of the day.

Jane nodded.  “It’s basically impossible to dislike her.”

“What does she want with me?” Spencer wondered.

“What do you mean?” Jane asked somewhat sharply.

“Just, everyone loves her,” he said, insecure.  “She has an Avenger so torn up over her disappearance that his partner is excited to torture someone.  I’m just a nerd that barely passes my physical and gun quals to stay an FBI agent.”

Jane stopped and pulled him off to the side of the sidewalk.  “Listen to me very carefully,” she said, her face serious.  “Darcy Lewis likes you precisely because you are you.  Are you attracted to Emily?”

“What?  No,” he said, wondering why she asked that.

“Exactly.  Emily is strong and smart and pretty, and genuinely likes you as a person, but you don’t want to date her.  Same thing with Darcy and Clint.  She likes you.  Not him.  Not anyone else.  You.” Spencer stared at Jane as he tried to take in what she had said.  “She’s really gone on you, and feels exactly the same insecurities that you do.  She’s wondering what you see in her; worried you’re going to realize she’s not enough.  You both need to just let go of that and enjoy what you have.”

“I…I’ll ty,” Spencer said.  That was easier said than done.

“Good,” Jane said, satisfied.  “So which way to the best coffee?”

“This way,” he said, leading her down the sidewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't finish writing everything today. Instead I finished my grad school application. They have everything, so now I just wait for their decision.


	25. Help From Above

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy is found.

Darcy had only been half asleep when she heard the helicopter.  She hadn’t been able to fully sleep; the threat of Ian being too strong to allow it.  He had been perfectly pleasant (if deranged) at the house, but she doubted that would be the case if he found her now.  She poked her head out of the leaf pile she had covered herself with.  It was a Shield copter.  Now the question was whether this was a rescue party or Ian again.

She didn’t have much time to decide.  It wouldn’t take long for the aircraft to be out of signaling distance.  If she signaled and it was Ian, could she outrun him (especially after he knew her location)?  And could she continue to head north now that he knew where she was?

She decided to signal.  There was no place for a helicopter to land in this thick wood, so someone would have to rappel down.  She liked her odds given the cover of trees and a likely single assailant.  She pulled the mirror shard she had taken from the house and did he best to bounce the sun to the pilot.  She waited, holding her breath as she listened to the approach of the machine, and then watched as it hovered near her location.

“Darcy?” She heard a man yell at her, though she couldn’t see him and didn’t recognize the voice.

“Here!” She yelled back, waving her arms.  It was fairly useless, though.  There was no way they could see her through the trees.

“Darcy?” she heard from the loudspeaker on the helicopter.  “Can you signal me again if you’re there?”

Clint!  It was Clint!  She tried to get her mirror to shine at him.

“Stark’s on his way.  Stay put,” Clint said after several tense minutes.  Darcy relaxed.  She didn’t have to run anymore.  She was safe.

It wasn’t long before she heard what she assumed was Stark landing nearby.

“Lewis?” He called out.

“Over here,” she said, turning toward him.  He wasn’t exactly quiet.

“Got her,” he heard him say as he stepped into view.  “You okay, kid?” He asked her.

“Amazing now,” she said.  “But tired and hungry,” she admitted.

“Anything broken or injured?”

“Just scratches and bruises from running through the forest.”

“Good, I’m going to pick you up and get you in the helicopter,” he said as he scooped her up.  “Hold on tight.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for the short ride up to the helicopter which was actually pretty scary.  She had never been in a helicopter, and those blades whirring so close to her head were kind of terrifying.  It wasn’t scary for long, though, as Stark wasted no time in getting her into the open door of the copter.

“Cap, switch me,” she heard Clint yell from the cockpit.  She looked around, now that Tony had let go, and saw Captain America himself smiling down at her. 

“You gave us quite a fright,” he said to her.

“Why are you here?” She blurted out, covering her mouth immediately as she realized what she said.

“To help find you,” he said before moving to switch piloting duties with Clint.

“Darcy!” Clint said as he rushed into her space and hugged her tightly.

“I thought she was with the nerdy guy from the hospital,” Stark said, confused.

“Spencer?”  She said, latching onto Tony’s words.  “Spencer’s in the hospital?  Is he alright?”

“He’s fine,” Clint said, still holding her.  “He’s out now, but Ian did a number to him.”

“I’m going to kill him,” she said vehemently.

Clint loosened his grip on her.  “Natasha will interrogate him once he’s awake,” he said with a vicious smile.

“He wasn’t awake yet?”

“Not as of three hours ago,” Clint said.  “But he might be now.”

“He must have taken more of the drug than I thought,” she mused.

“You did a good job kid,” Stark said to her earnestly.

“Show me every bruise and cut so we can clean you up,” Clint commanded.

“There’s nothing too bad,” Darcy said.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to find out if Dr. Reid can kick my ass if we don’t take care of you,” Clint said.

“Did someone radio in that we found her?” Tony asked.

“I did,” Clint said.

“Where _are_ we?” Darcy asked.

“The middle of fucking nowhere,” Clint sighed.

“Northern New York,” Tony supplied.

“Jesus,” Darcy breathed.  “How did you find me?”

“It took some digging, but Natasha found the house.  It was purchased by Ian years ago-well before he met you-under a fake name with cash.”

“Everything leaves a trail,” Tony cut in, “especially when the original purchase wasn’t for a planned nefarious purpose.  The BAU hacker was eventually able to trace the alias Nat found to this place.”

“Penelope found me?”

“And promptly turned down my job offer,” Stark grumbled.

“Who all has been looking for me?”

“For both of you,” Clint clarified.  “Dr. Reid was missing too.  We teamed up with the BAU when we realized you were both gone.”

“How long ago did you find him?”

“Yesterday,” Clint said.  “No, wait.  Two days ago.”

“And today is…?”

“Thursday.”  Clint looked at her strangely.  “Why don’t you know what day it is?”

“He drugged me several times,” Darcy said with a small shudder.  “I couldn’t track the time for a while.”

“Same stuff you used on him?” Clint asked.

“Yeah,” Darcy said.  “I found it and used it against him.  I tried to give him a multiple dose, but he didn’t drink all of it.”  Clint hugged her tightly again.  When he let go she asked, “When do I get to see Spencer?”

“In a few hours,” Clint said reluctantly.  “It’ll take us about two hours to get back to a base, and then we need you to be checked by medical and debriefed.”

She nodded.  She got it, but she didn’t like it.  Clint kissed her forehead and she yawned.

“Take a nap kid.  It’s been a long few days for you.”

Darcy yawned again and slumped against Clint.  She was safe and so was Spencer.  She could nap.  Everything was going to be all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 things:
> 
> 1) Do you want the sugar sweet or the more racy ending? Let me know in the comments.  
> 2) I'm doing some one-shot Darcy/Spencer prompts to celebrate my grad school app being complete. Send me a trope or soulmate line or piece of dialog over on tumblr if you like.


	26. Follow Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer gets a step closer to seeing Darcy

After coffee with Jane, Spencer had decided to head back up even though he wasn’t supposed to work.  He needed to be around people while he waited.  Clint had come for him not long after word had come through that they had landed. “You can’t see her yet,” were his first words to Spencer.  “But,” he continued, “you can come help us interrogate Boothby and as soon as she’s done with medical and debrief you can see her.”

“Is she okay?” Spencer asked as he grabbed his bag and coat to follow Clint.

“There’s different types of okay,” Clint hedged as they headed out of the BAU.  “Physically she’s relatively unharmed.  She has some scratches and bruises.  We don’t think there’s any lasting issue from whatever he was drugging her with.”  Clint paused while they waited for the elevator.  Once they were alone in the car he started again.  “But mentally?  I’m not so sure.  She told me she woke up in some silk negligée thing after the kidnapping.  That’s fucked up.  She had to play along to survive.  That’s how she was able to get him to trust her enough to execute her escape plan.  That had to be pretty rough too.  She says she’s fine, but I think that might be a lie.”

“It might not be a lie right now,” Spencer said as the elevator door opened.  “She might still be in shock over it all.  A few hours from now, though….” He trailed off.  The BAU was rarely around after the killer was caught and the victims were found, but he knew the stats.  He knew how hard it was to work through the cluster of memories and emotions; the second guessing of every action, the nightmares replaying it, the second guessing of every new interaction.  Was this person going to be anything like the one you encountered before?

Clint’s heavy hand landed on Spencer’s shoulder once they reached the car.  “I know you went through some crazy shit here too, but you could really hurt Darcy if you’re not here for her.”  Spencer nodded.  All the words he could think of were too trite.  This seemed to satisfy Clint for the moment, and he lifted his hand and they got into the car.  They drove in silence for several minutes before Clint decided to talk again.  “She’s strong,” he started.  “I was there in New Mexico.  It was intense, but she dealt with it pretty well.  I mean, she had nightmares, but who wouldn’t?  The Destroyer was sort of built for a nightmare.  But she held Foster together in the aftermath.  She texted me a lot in the months after that.  And then I was…I was pretty fucked up after New York.  And she helped me through it, only to end up in the shit-show that was London.  Coulson had begged to let someone go to London with them, and all he got was clearance to send Boothby, who didn’t tell us shit.  We could have been there much sooner, but he wanted to be a damn hero.”  Clint paused, his hands tight on the steering where, his neck bulging with tension.  “But once again she just rallied.  How many times can one person rally?” He looked at Spencer.  “It’s not fair that she’s had to do it so much.” He sighed and pulled into a parking spot.  “She’s helped me through some hard times.  I don’t really have friends thanks to my line of work, but she’s one of my best friends.  If you hurt her, I will make sure you are in pain-physical and mental-for months before I actually kill you.”

Spencer swallowed thickly.  “I would never intentionally hurt her.  I…I’m not Ian.”

Clint growled at the mention of Ian.  “Let’s go deal with that trash.”

Spencer followed Clint through a maze of hallways, each just as bland as the last.  Every time the hit a security checkpoint, he’d flash a badge, declare Spencer was with him, and the guards would all but jump out of their way as he thundered off.  Eventually Clint came to a stop in a hallway where the doors were more spaced out than the others.  He scanned his badge at one door, and it clicked open.  Inside, Spencer realized this was an interrogation suite.  They were standing in a room with a two-way window looking into the interrogation room.  At the window there was a table with stools pulled up to it.  A counter with a coffee maker and sink was opposite the window, and a couch filled up the far wall.  An intercom crackled with the sound from the connecting room.

In the other room, a redhead (Natasha he assumed) sat across from a man that was restrained in a chair.  His hands were shacked to the table and he looked exhausted.  His shirt was off and his fingers were bruised and bloody.

“Is that…?” He asked.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“What am I doing here?” He asked.

“Natasha will explain when she joins us,” Clint said.  “But you are going to play a very important role.”

“I won’t have to…touch him, will I?”

“No,” Clint said.  “Do you want to?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“That’s fine.  But if you want to, just let us know.” 

The connecting door opened and the redhead strolled into the viewing room.  “You must be Spencer,” she said.  “I’m Natasha Romanoff.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, wondering just what the appropriate greeting was when you met a spy that was going to use you to psychologically torture someone.

“I’ve read up on you Dr. Reid, and you are going to be perfect.  You’re an upgrade from Ian in every way.  You’re smarter, your taller, you’re better at your job, and you’re better looking.  Plus, you’re the one Darcy wants.  We’re going to use all of that against him, if you’re willing, that is.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“You do,” Natasha said, throwing Clint a disappointed look as he set about making coffee. “Your participation here is voluntary.  If you’d rather not help with the interrogation, then you are welcome to leave.”

“We found Darcy, what more do we need?”  Spencer asked.

“He doesn’t know that we’ve found Darcy,” Natasha revealed.  “We’re trying to get him to tell us the details of everything under the guise of finding her.  We’re most interested in his network.  Darcy said he had people following her for him, so we need to find out who those people are and what they know and did.”

“And I can help with that?”

“You can,” Natasha said with a bow of her head.

“What do I need to do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote another grad school prompt today buuuuut. I dunno guys. I put a magical bent on it and I'm not sure I like it. So you'll either get the magic one-shot or another chapter here tonight after I decide.


	27. Nobody's Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone (but Spencer) chats with Darcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided another chapter here. I just don't love my magic story enough to use it.

Darcy sat still in medical while they drew blood to check for lasting effects from the drugs Ian has used on her.  Her cuts had all been cleaned, and the two on her leg from when she fell in the forest had been stitched up.  Jane had come with a bag of clean clothes shortly after the stitches had been finished.  Darcy had hugged her tightly before slipping into the bathroom to shower and change.  The new clothes had made her finally feel like this nightmare was over.  She still had to debrief, but the prospect now felt like part of moving on.  Before the clothes it felt like it might be a continuation, but comfy jeans and an over-sized sweater made her feel alive and renewed.

“Did I remember everything?” Jane asked when she stepped out of the bathroom.  “Did I pick the right things?”

“It’s perfect,” Darcy said sitting in the open chair next to Jane.  “Thank you.  I feel so much better now.”

“Are you okay?” Jane asked softly.

“I will be,” Darcy answered.  It was okay to still be shaky with Jane, to be honest about where she was.  “It’s just all so surreal.”

“I bet,” Jane said. “I can’t imagine waking up in a strange bed in strange clothes with Ian leering over you.”

“I didn’t even like him that much,” Darcy admitted.  “It was a stupid choice to begin with.  I was lonely and he was there.”

“It’s not stupid,” Jane said grabbing her hand.  “And nothing that came from dating him is your fault.  He’s the one that is unhinged.”

“I should have noticed something was off.”

“First of all, no you shouldn’t.  No one should have to expect that their significant other is a psycho.  Second, I didn’t notice either, and I worked pretty closely with him.  Finally, maybe you did realize it subconsciously.  I mean, you did break it off.”

“Maybe,” Darcy said, unconvinced.

“You know, she’s right,” a voice called from the doorway.  “None of this is your fault.”  Coulson stepped into the room.  “If anything, it’s my fault.  I sent him to London.”

Darcy had never seen Coulson look so unkempt.  Usually his suits were pressed to within an inch of their life and his face was a mask from most emotion.  Never a hair out of place.  But today his pants and jacket were wrinkled, and his eyes were soft when he looked at her.

“If it’s not my fault it can’t be yours either,” she said decisively.  “None of us are to blame.  This is all his fault and his fault alone.” Jane rubbed her hand up and down Darcy’s back.  “Clint said you found him.”

“Tied up just like you left him for us.  He was still unconscious.”

“Not Ian.  Spencer.”

“Ahh,” Phil said with a smile.  “We did.  Clint’s with him right now.”

“He’s okay?”

“Ian didn’t spend much effort on Dr. Reid.  He beat him, though not as badly as he could have, and then pumped him full of illegal drugs and left him on a corner in a terrible neighborhood.  A man found him and got him to the hospital.  He’s still a bit bruised, but he’s recovered just fine.”

Darcy could tell Phil was leaving things out.  Nothing he said was a lie, he just hadn’t said everything.  “When do I get to see him?”

“As soon as your debrief is done.”

“And Ian?” She asked, his name like dirt in her mouth.

“Currently being interrogated by Natasha.”

Darcy frowned.  “You found both of us, what are you hoping to get from the interrogation?”

“Besides the names of the people that he had helping him?  I think Natasha just wants to see what all he’ll spill.”

“But I’ve never met Natasha,” Darcy said, not sure why the woman would take such an active interest in dealing with Ian.

“And I think that’s about to no longer be true,” Phil said with a slight shake of the head.  “You two are going to be so much trouble together.”

“But why…?”

“Because you’re Clint’s friend, and Ian hurt you,” Jane explained.  “He kind of lost it a bit when you went missing.”

“Interrogating Ian is her way of dealing with something that hurt someone she cares about,” Coulson added.

“Did…did _all_ of the Avengers help find me?”  Darcy asked, suddenly a bit horrified.

Jane shot her an embarrassed look.  “I told Pepper I couldn’t set a moving date because you were missing, and she immediately pledged Tony to the search.”

“He ended up working pretty closely with Ms. Garcia, I believe,” Coulson added.

“Oh my god,” Darcy whispered.  “The next tequila night is going to have some wild stories.”

“I told Thor and he immediately went off world to ask Heimdal for help.”

“Is he back?”

Jane shook her head.  “No, but he sent me a message about how pleased he was about your return and that he was dealing with an Asgard issue.”

“Clint and Natasha, I’m sure you understand,” Coulson said.

“And Captain America?” She asked.

“Demanded to help his friends.  I think he was also pretty taken by you on the helicopter.”

“Captain America has a crush on me?” Darcy squeaked.

“Steve Rogers was impressed with your ability to overcome the circumstances you found yourself in,” Phil clarified.

“And also maybe by a few choice stories I told him,” Clint added from the door.  “Have you debriefed yet?”

Darcy shook her head. “No, I was told I had to wait until the blood test results came back.”

Clint gave Phil a look.  “Can we take care of this?  Dr. Reid will be done with Natasha in about half an hour, and I think he’d like to see Darcy.”

“Spencer’s with Natasha?  No fair!  How come he gets to meet her before I do?”

“He’s, uh, helping her with something.”

Darcy’s eye shot over to Phil.  “I think he should be the one to tell you,” was all Phil said in response to her unasked question.  “Let’s take care of your debrief so you can see him.”


	28. Let's Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interrogation time!

“I brought you a visitor,” Natasha said with a smile as she and Spencer entered the room.  Spencer watched Ian’s face tick for a moment, but otherwise he showed no reaction.  “Do you know who he is?”  Ian still didn’t respond.  Natasha paused and looked at the tools spread on a small cloth in front of Ian’s hands, running her fingers over them.  She lingered over a long, sharp pick and Ian broke.

“I know who he is.”

“So you did do some homework,” Natasha said, still not looking at Ian but picking up the pick.  “What do you know about him?” She asked as she toyed with her weapon of choice.

“He should be dead,” Ian spat.

Natasha’s eyes flicked up to Ian, and before Spencer realized what was happening, the pick was pushed under one of Ian’s fingernails.  He cried out.

Natasha tapped the end of the pick and tears welled up in Ian’s eyes.  “What. Do. You. Know. About. Him?” She asked, tapping the pick with one perfectly manicured nail to emphasize each word.

“He works for the FBI,” Ian grunted.

“That’s all your research taught you?” Natasha asked, making a tsk sound as she played with the tools in front of her.  While each movement looked carefree, Spencer was certain that it was carefully controlled and planned to intensify the anxiety that Ian must be feeling.

“He’s a profiler,” Ian spit when Natasha picked up something that looked a lot like pliers.

Natasha turned and studied Spencer for a moment before turning back to Ian.  “He looks awfully young to be a profiler.  It takes years to reach such a high level position.”  She gripped the pliers and studied them while she said, “He’s the same age as you, and you’re barely a field agent.”  Ian rattled against his restraints and Natasha snapped the pliers, hitting his hand and bringing them away with an air of nonchalance.  “Focus Ian,” she chided.  “Do you have more than your bachelor’s degree?”  When he didn’t answer swiftly enough, the pliers came down on his other hand and he howled.  “I asked you a question.”

“No,” he panted.  “Just my bachelor’s.”

“And I assume you know that he’s Dr. Reid.  Not Mr. Reid.  In fact, he’s Doctor Reid several times over.  Did you know that?  Did your research tell you that?”  Natasha asked the questions almost like she was bored.  Ian stalled and Natasha positioned the pliers so they were gripping the nail of his left pinky finger.  She gently started to pull, and he cried out.

“Yes I knew that!”

Natasha stopped pulling but left the pliers in place.  “How does Darcy feel about smart men?” She asked almost quizzically, tilting her head as she asked.

“She likes them,” Ian groaned.

Natasha tapped the fingernail being held by the pliers as she hmmm’ed.  “I guess that means she’d like him more, doesn’t it?”

“NO,” Ian nearly shouted.  “How could she?  He’s not me!”

In one fluid motion, Natasha pulled the pliers and along with them came the nail which she dropped onto the cloth holding her tools.  “Ian, Ian, Ian,” she sighed.  “You couldn’t even nab her without resorting to drugs that you used too much of.”

“How do you know I used too much?” He demanded.  “You found her?”

“We found the vials,” she said, flicking the pick lazily.  “One whole vial is too much for a person her size.”  She paused.  “Did you pay attention at all at the academy?”

“She’s bigger than she looks,” he grunted.

Before even Natasha could react, Spencer said, “Are you calling her fat?”

“No,” Ian said with a leer as he turned his attention to Spencer.  “I’m saying she has great boobs. Have you even looked at them yet?”  Suddenly Ian was much more animated.  “I know all about you and your aversion to touch.  Why would Darcy want to be with someone that couldn’t appreciate her finer qualities?  Someone that didn’t even want to kiss her?  That’s not a relationship, that’s barely a friendship.”

“But resorting to drugging her so that she’d be with you isn’t pathetic?” Spencer countered.  “Having to kidnap her and undress her while she’s unconscious because she wouldn’t let it happen any other way?  That’s a relationship?”

“How did you know about that?” Ian asked, his anger giving way to something more somber, like he suddenly had information that was important.

“We found the clothes, Ian,” Natasha said.  “Darcy wouldn’t have voluntarily put on the lingerie we found.”

“How do you know she wore it?”

“Forensic science,” Spencer said, trying to make it clear this was obvious, trying to make up for the mistake of letting this information slip.  “There’s plenty of evidence that she wore it.  We found her hair as well as yours on the garment.  Additionally, there were fibers from the sheets that matched the ones on the bed, which wouldn’t have been transferred if the item had just been placed on the sheet.  Instead, we can extrapolate that the garment was worn in the bed as that is consistent with the placement of the fibers.  There was even a little bit of her blood on the interior of the garment.  What else did you do while she was unconscious?”  The last part wasn’t true (probably…he hoped), but it seemed to deflate Ian.

“I wouldn’t need to rape her,” he said haughtily.  “She is willing to be physical with me.”

“So why drug her?” Natasha asked, pacing around behind Ian.  “If she wants to be with you, why didn’t she come along quietly?”

“How do you know she didn’t?”

Natasha sighed and then sunk her nails into Ian’s shoulders.  “Because she wasn’t at the house, and used drug vials were.  If she wanted to be there, she still would have been.”  She scratched down the front of his chest, little pricks of blood bubbling up in their wake.  Once she was leaning over enough to whisper in his ear, she dug in her nails and said, “But instead she ran as soon as she could to get back to Dr. Reid.”  Ian struggled to turn his head to look at her, but her hand gripped his jaw and made sure he was looking at Spencer.  “Look at him.  Of course she picked him.  He’s better than you in every way.”

“Not in bed.”

Natasha tightened her grip.  “She doesn’t need to sleep with him to know how good he would be,” she purred.  “It’s in the movements of his hands, the way he walks, his confidence.  It’s in the incredible intimacy of the simple actions he _has_ done.”  She smacked Ian’s face lightly as she pulled away from him to move back to the front of the table.  “Any woman can see that when they look at him.  He’s clearly a generous and dedicated lover.  Something you’ll never be.”  She now ran her fingers over Spencer’s shoulder.  He held completely still to not ruin the illusion she was making.  She tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up.  “Let’s go Dr. Reid,” she said moving toward the door.  “I’m sure Darcy is dying to see you.” 

As they walked out the door, Ian bucked against his restraints and yelled out.  “You did find her! I knew it!”  Natasha looked back over her shoulder just before they were fully out, Spencer stuck behind her.  “Actually, Dr. Reid found her.  He knew just where she would go.  Funny how he’s only known her a few weeks and he knows her so much better than you.”  With that she swept out the door, Spencer right behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a new Grad school prompt: Coffee Cute, and it's for stateofconstantconfusion's birrthday. If you check it out, wish her a happy birthday because she is literal sunshine and I adore her.


	29. Visual Candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two adorable dorks finally get to see each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how late this chapter is going up. The husband and I went to the "city" for a science fair in a park. Ya'll, I've slowly come to realize that I enjoy Spencer as a character because he's a socially awkward version of my husband. Please enjoy this chapter. Tomorrow is the conclusion of this story.

Darcy was sitting in Coulson’s office on the couch she had requisitioned for him as soon as she saw he didn’t have one.  Over the back was a blanket from her house that she had knit and insisted was a necessary addition to the office.  Coulson was at his desk filling out forms related to her rescue and Ian’s apprehension.  Clint has shown Jane out and promised to find out when Spencer would be available.  She desperately wanted to stay awake, but she had barely slept in the last 48 hours, and the couch was so comfortable.  She was drifting, and both she and Coulson knew it.  He had turned on some soft jazz while he typed, and was pointedly ignoring her side of the room.  He had been full of tension during the debrief while she recounted all the things that she could recall from her time with Ian.  When they were done, they had gone to his office.  She said she could wait at her desk, but he waved her into his office and onto the couch, and only then had the tension seeped out of him as soon as she sat down.  He wanted to be able to see her just as much as she didn’t really want to be alone.

She awoke to a firm warmth under her.  The last thing she remembered was talking to Phil.  Had that been a dream?  Was she still in the woods, or worse, in the house?  She kept her eyes shut as she concentrated on her surroundings.  She didn’t hear birds or rustling leaves, but instead the hum of a climate controlled space.  Whatever was beneath her was soft, but her head was on something decidedly less so, her arms pressed against it, and something was also wrapped around her shoulder.  Ian?

She took a deep breath and smelled coffee and stringent soap.  _Spencer._

She squirmed a bit, trying to let him know she was awake and started to pull away.  He hadn’t signed up for her sleeping on him, not yet at least, but his arm gently tugged her back down.  She opened her eyes and blinked blearily as she tried to focus.  Sitting at Phil’s desk was a redhead with an amused smile playing at her lips.  She lifted a single finger to her lips, shushing Darcy, and that’s when she realized that Spencer was asleep.

“Adorable,” the woman (who must be Natasha) mouthed at her with a taunting smile.  Darcy blushed.

“What time is it?” She mouthed back.  She had debriefed sometime around 3.  Natasha held up her hands with her fingers spread.  “Ten?  At night?” Darcy whispered.  Natasha smirked and nodded.  “How long?” She asked.  Natasha, however, didn’t answer.  Instead, Spencer started to shift beneath her, his arm languidly running down her back.  She felt his chest tense as he stretched.  She felt him realize she was there.  The stretch stopped abruptly and his heart beat a bit faster.  She noticed Natasha’s amused face as she pulled away from Spencer to look at him.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.  She really was.  She felt like she had taken advantage of him by sleeping on him.  She considered it a fairly intimate activity, and it seemed like a large jump from where they had been just a week ago.  Jesus.  It had been almost a week since they had seen each other and their last kiss.  She had replayed that kiss over and over in her head while trying to get through her time with Ian.

“It’s okay,” he said, voice a touch gravelly from sleep. “You were asleep when I came in and I didn’t want to wake you.  I guess I fell asleep too.”

“You two are like visual candy,” Natasha said, clearly surprising Spencer.

“Natasha?” He asked.  “What are you doing here?”

“Clint and Coulson didn’t want to leave you two alone, so I stayed while they went to deal with a personnel issue.  I thought you both might like to know that Ian completely broke after his little chat with Dr. Reid.  He gave up everything, including the names of all his spies.  It was pretty disappointing how easy it was.”

“I thought I had ruined everything when I talked about the lingerie.  He riled me up and I shouldn’t have taken the bait.  I don’t normally do much questioning. I’m mostly behind the scenes for the BAU.”

“Even if you had done a lot of questioning, when the interrogation is personal it can be very difficult to detach.  Besides, I was able to have so much more fun once you were done with him.”

Darcy stared at Natasha wide eyed.  “Did you kill him?”  She had wanted him dead right after everything, but now that felt wrong.

“Of course not,” Natasha said with a toss of her hair.  “That would have been too kind.”  She stood in a fluid, graceful motion.  “Now that you’re up, I’ll leave you two alone,” she said with a wink.  “And Darcy?”

“Yes?”

“I expect an invite to the next tequila night.”

“I don’t have your number,” Darcy said.  “And Clint isn’t likely to give it to me.”

Natasha waved this off.  “Check your phone,” she said before breezing out the door.

Darcy frowned.  “But Ian took my phone,” she said mostly to herself, suddenly sad about everything that was saved on there that was now lost.

“I’m guessing that’s what’s in this bag,” Spencer said, picking up a small gift bag from the floor.  “Jane told me it was from Pepper.”

Darcy took the bag and pulled out the issue paper.  Inside was a box and a card.  She opened the card and read:

_Dear Darcy,_

_We’re so glad you’re back.  I know a thing or two about bad exes and the aftermath of terrible situations.  While I’ve never been in your shoes exactly, I wanted you to know you’re always welcome to give me a call.  And I hope you will.  I understand that there might be some things (or is it some_ one?) _that will keep you from taking my offer, but that doesn’t mean we can’t stay in touch.  Please use the enclosed card to get yourself some new things.  I’ve always found shopping to be a great way to get over something dreadful.  In the box is a new phone.  Tony insisted once he heard what happened to yours.  I believe between Jarvis and Ms. Garcia most of your data was recovered.  I took the liberty of adding myself and a few others to your contacts.  I hope you don’t mind._

_Be well,_

_Pepper_

Darcy slid a gift card out of the envelope and was certain her eyes popped out of her head when she saw the amount on it.  After she had carefully placed that back in the envelope, she opened the box, and sure enough, there was a brand new Stark Phone, fully charged.  When she turned it on, her lock screen was a picture of her and Jane in New Mexico.  A note in the box gave her the code they had set, and once she unlocked the phone, all of her apps were there (even arranged just how she liked them).  Penelope had made the picture of Spencer drinking coffee her background.  When she jumped into her photos, they were all there.  Her contacts all seemed to be accounted for (including a few extras), and even her playlists were there.  It was all so much.  She nearly started to cry at the generousness of it all.

“Are you okay?” Spencer asked.

She nodded.  “I’m just really happy,”” she said with a bit of a lump in her throat.  Then and idea came to her.  “Hey, can I get a picture of us?”

“Sure,” Spencer said easily.  She leaned into him and held the phone out, snapping a smiling pic of the two of them.  She saved it and quickly shot off a text to nearly everyone in her contacts.  It was simply the picture and the word “thanks.”  She owed so many so much.  This was a good start.


	30. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a final bit of our couple being happy.

\--6 Months Later—

Spencer sat at the table, squished closely to Darcy.  Friday nights at the bar when they weren’t in the field had become a tradition.  He smiled as he watched Prentiss and JJ joke with Natasha and Maria, Garcia and Clint and Morgan talk about the latest cheesy spy movie, Hotch and Coulson and Rossi discuss what made a quality scotch. 

Darcy turned and whispered into his ear.  “Wanna get out of here?”  It was soft and breathy, and the way her lips grazed his ear made him want to say yes.  She didn’t pull away immediately, so when he turned to respond, they ended up cheek to cheek.

“Yes,” he whispered back.  He could feel her smile against his skin.

“Can you two please go be disgustingly cute elsewhere?” Morgan asked, startling both of them.  Spencer threw a balled napkin at him.

“Not a problem,” Darcy said, standing and grabbing Spencer’s hand.  “I’m sure I can think of somewhere to go and something to do.”

He was aware that he had turned a very bright red, but he still turned to Derek and said, “I’m excited to see what she comes up with.”

“Miss Lewis, please don’t break our encyclopedia,” Hotch called over, causing Darcy to blush.

“Dr. Reid, please make sure my assistant will still be functional in the morning,” Coulson added.

“Remember I can kill you with a pinky,” Clint called cheerfully.

“I can do it with my mind,” Natasha added while looking at her nails.

“Just a few keystrokes for me,” Garcia giggled.

“Are you done?” Darcy asked fondly.  This had been going on for weeks now.  “We get it.  You like us.”

“Both individually and together,” Rossi smiled.  “Now get out of here.  We’ve all had enough of your heart eyes for tonight.”

Spencer figured they weren’t going to get a cleaner getaway than that, so he pulled Darcy out of the corner they had been sitting in and out the door.  They walked hand in hand down the sidewalk toward Darcy’s apartment.

“Have I told you lately how much I like you?” Darcy asked as they enjoyed the crisp Spring night.

“I don’t believe you have,” Spencer said with a soft smile.

“Like, so much, Spencer.  So much.  I like the way you can tell me the most interesting fact about anything.  I like the way you always pick a cardigan instead of a normal sweater.  I like the way you look when you’re reading a book at an insane speed, the way you can always tell I need a cup of coffee, how hard you work to include my friends in things, and most certainly the pretty color you turn when you’re flustered.”  She punctuated her little speech with a peck on the cheek while they waited for the light to change so they could cross the street.

“Have I told you lately how much I adore you?” He countered as they crossed over to her building.

“Not lately,” she teased.

“I adore the way you scrunch your nose when you don’t like something.  I adore how you text goofy pictures to everyone when you know they need a little happiness added to their day.  I adore the way you take charge of situations and make everyone listen to you, the sound of your laughter when you’re indulging me, the way your hair is a mess by the end of a long day.  Actually,” he said as she unlocked her door, “I more than adore you.  Darcy Lewis, I love you.”

The surprise at his statement was evident on her face.  She recovered quickly though, and shut the door behind them.  She took his face in her hands and stroked his jawline with her thumb.  “I love you too Spencer Reid,” she whispered before going up on her tip toes to kiss him.  It started slow and soft, their tongues moving sedately.  After several minutes, Darcy ended the kiss, pulling away but leaning her forehead to his.   Spencer, however, was not done.  He immediately chased her lips again, and this time the kiss was needier, hungrier.  One of her hands moved to his hair, running her fingers through it and pulling him closer in turn.  His hands wandered down her sides and over her hips pulling her tight against him.  One had splayed over the small of her back as the other trailed upward again, tentative but wanting to feel her.  The hand on his jaw moved down to his chest as her lips started to follow, placing kisses in a trail down his neck.  While they still hadn’t done much beyond kissing, their hands had certainly been doing a lot more exploration recently.

Darcy placed a final kiss at his collarbone and pulled away from him.  “We should head to the couch,” she said, lips red and swollen.  Spencer couldn’t stop looking at them.  “My neck can’t take much more craning.”  She wove her fingers into his and gently tugged him over to the couch.  Once they sat, she looked at him and asked, “Are you okay with this?”  The way she still checked their speed and his comfort made him love her even more.  She never criticized or complained.  She was always happy to continue at whatever pace he felt was right.

“Very okay,” he said as he leaned forward to kiss her again.  She straddled his lap as they kissed, pushing him into the back of the couch as she pressed against him.  His hands settled on her hips, holding her in place but also rubbing small circles into her sides.  Her hands rested on his chest, but soon snaked their way behind his head.  He loved how she tasted of the stout she always drank and smelled like orange and lavender.  His hands tenderly moved up her side and cupped her jaw, her hair tangling a bit in his fingers.

Darcy ended the kiss and pulled away, trying to stifle a yawn.  “I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“No, I’m sorry.  You’ve had a long day.”  She had been at the office at 4 AM, and he didn’t want to think about what time that meant she woke up.  Now that he thought about it, she might have slept at the office.  “I should go so you can get to bed,” he added, letting go of her face so she could get up.

“Or you could stay?”

Stay?  That would be new.

“You don’t have to,” she rushed on.  “I just thought that it’s late and you’d have to go all the way to the other side of town and I know your day was long too.  You can even stay out here on the couch if you prefer.”

“Or?” He asked with a small smile.

“Or?” She asked, confused.

“If I don’t want to sleep on the couch?”

“I…I could sleep on it?”

“So the offer to stay over doesn’t include sharing a bed?”

Darcy smacked his arm.  “Spencer Reid, do you want to stay the night in my bed with me?”

“Look in my bag.”

Darcy shot him a look but got off his lap and went to the door where he had dropped his bag.  He could tell the moment she saw what was in there.  She turned around.  Her nose wrinkled as her face broke into a grin.  “How long?” She demanded with a small laugh.

“Past two weeks,” Spencer said, getting up and joining her.  “Is that too fast?”

“Too fast for me?” She asked, incredulous.

“I’m not the only one that gets a say in how fast we move.  I have my own issues, and I don’t want to pressure you at all either.”

“I don’t feel any pressure,” she assured him.  “Just tired.  Let’s get to bed, Dr. Reid.”

Spencer followed her further into the apartment.  He hadn’t been this excited to go to sleep in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this story. But never fear, I'm not done with the pair. Hopefully I'll see you again with my next story with these two!


End file.
